{"id":24161,"date":"2023-10-17T08:23:57","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T08:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/volare.volotea.com\/?post_type=inspiracion&p=24161"},"modified":"2023-10-19T12:29:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T12:29:10","slug":"the-artist-anabel-santiago-makes-us-discover-asturias","status":"publish","type":"inspiracion","link":"https:\/\/volare.volotea.com\/en\/cities\/asturias\/the-artist-anabel-santiago-makes-us-discover-asturias\/","title":{"rendered":"The artist Anabel Santiago makes us discover Asturias"},"content":{"rendered":"
Are you planning on visiting Asturias soon? We\u2019d love to accompany you with some music, so we\u2019ve prepared a playlist of Asturian music for you, featuring local artists!<\/h5>\n
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\nhttps:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/3hMdoO7kIw9rY5T7NmDfDt<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Muel De Dios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hi Anabel, thanks for agreeing to this interview! You\u2019re the leading exponent of the traditional Asturian style of song<\/strong> known as “<\/strong>la tonada<\/em><\/strong>“. Could you tell us a bit more about this genre of music and what makes it different from other styles of folk music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The tonada<\/em> is the vocal genre that\u2019s identified most with our tradition in Asturias. It\u2019s a kind of freestyle singing that\u2019s usually sung a cappella, although it\u2019s 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<\/em> deals with themes that relate to everyday village life, working in the fields, the lifestyle, affairs of the heart, and there\u2019s 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\u2019s the first cousin of genres such as cante jondo<\/em> or jota aragonesa<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We know that you\u2019ve played a key role in modernising the Asturian <\/strong>tonada<\/em><\/strong> 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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u201cpraos<\/em>\u201d, or pastures, along with our most popular drink, which is cider, and with dancing. They are characteristic of our region because they\u2019re not just festivals, but they\u2019re places where we get together to dance, meet someone, socialise and enjoy the village and its people. <\/p>\n

Apart from the festivities, we have the chigres<\/em> (bars or cider houses) where we sing and have fun in a similar way. This is where the songs, or canciones de chigre<\/em>, come from, with common themes that everyone sings about while drinking cider or after dinner. There\u2019s currently a movement for restoring this very social expression of our tradition with the staging of numerous festivals based on the cancios de chigre<\/em>, to promote and raise awareness of this particular kind of entertainment and connection to our traditions.<\/p>\n

The Asturians\u2019 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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019re 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\u2019s still a need for more cultural support and more involvement on the part of young people. That\u2019s why it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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