Are you planning on visiting Asturias soon? We’d love to accompany you with some music, so we’ve prepared a playlist of Asturian music for you, featuring local artists!
And to find out more about this lovely region, we got in touch with Anabel Santiago, an iconic artist from Asturias. A singer and teacher, she was also a TV presenter and has acted in both shorts and feature-length films. We asked her a few questions to see what she thinks about your forthcoming destination and whether she has any tips for you.
Hi Anabel, thanks for agreeing to this interview! You’re the leading exponent of the traditional Asturian style of song known as “la tonada“. Could you tell us a bit more about this genre of music and what makes it different from other styles of folk music?
The tonada is the vocal genre that’s identified most with our tradition in Asturias. It’s a kind of freestyle singing that’s usually sung a cappella, although it’s often accompanied by bagpipes or by a traditional tambourine. It has a basic melodic structure but differs from other styles due to its complex melisma, or its vocal turns and cadences. The tonada deals with themes that relate to everyday village life, working in the fields, the lifestyle, affairs of the heart, and there’s also room for irony and humour. Many people are no doubt unfamiliar with this vocal expression, but that makes it no less interesting, as it’s the first cousin of genres such as cante jondo or jota aragonesa.
We know that you’ve played a key role in modernising the Asturian tonada to bring it closer to the younger generations. Within this context, could you tell us a bit more about the traditional festivals that are still celebrated in Asturias and where we could experience some authentic traditions?
The traditional festivals in Asturias tend to be associated with the feast days of the local patron saint (or other figure) and are celebrated in the “praos”, or pastures, along with our most popular drink, which is cider, and with dancing. They are characteristic of our region because they’re not just festivals, but they’re places where we get together to dance, meet someone, socialise and enjoy the village and its people.
Apart from the festivities, we have the chigres (bars or cider houses) where we sing and have fun in a similar way. This is where the songs, or canciones de chigre, come from, with common themes that everyone sings about while drinking cider or after dinner. There’s currently a movement for restoring this very social expression of our tradition with the staging of numerous festivals based on the cancios de chigre, to promote and raise awareness of this particular kind of entertainment and connection to our traditions.
The Asturians’ attachment to their own culture is well known. How would you describe the strong bond Asturians have with their culture and traditions, and how do you think this connection has influenced their preservation and the way people joyfully share aspects of Asturian culture?
We Asturians are renowned for talking everything up. We like sharing and taking pleasure in what is ours. So wherever we go or whenever we welcome people from elsewhere, we do it in spades. We’re proud of our unique cuisine, folklore and mountainous landscape. I think that this pride and approach to life causes us again and again to fight to protect what is ours, although there’s still a need for more cultural support and more involvement on the part of young people. That’s why it’s essential to promote our music and adopt new ways of working with traditional music, as both I and other fellow artists of the genre have been doing for years.
And what is it about Asturias that you are passionate about personally? Is it its amazing natural beauty, its rich culture, its beautiful beaches or its delicious food?
Personally, I love the number of folixas (festivities) and themed festivals we have. For example, the fiesta vaqueira in Aristébano, paying homage to our western culture, or the number of festivals celebrating our locally produced cheeses or cider, such as the festival del quesu Gamonéu or Cabrales or the natural cider festival in Gijón or Nava. At these kinds of events, gastronomy, nature, music and traditions all go hand in hand. You don’t find that way of bringing all the different cultural aspects together in many places in Spain.
On the subject of food, what typical dishes must we be sure to try in Asturias?
This is a classic, but you can’t come to Asturias without trying fabada [a bean stew]. Secondly, a nice cachopo [veal fillets with ham and cheese], with rice pudding or frixuelos [a kind of crêpe] for dessert.
Is there maybe a pretty little town that not everyone knows about and which you could suggest we visit?
I love the sea, so as little gems I’d recommend a stroll around Luanco and a visit to Puerto de Vega. They never disappoint.
And finally, if you could book your next holiday with Volotea, which destination would you like to visit and why?
I love travelling. My last trip was to the Greek Islands, but I keep thinking about taking a break in Naples, to try its food, soak up the charm of its streets and people, and, of course, to see Pompeii and its history.
Thank you, Anabel!
