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Arianna Savall: L'Amor

Last time we were in the car together driving from one bit of the diocese to another, Clemency and I started thinking in earnest about the second half of the Camino Santiago. Northern Hemisphere Autumn next year would be a good time. We will walk from Sahagun to Santiago and maybe, if we have time, onto the coast. Of course for P personalities such as us, the planning and the gathering of information is the best bit, and there are many happy hours ahead picking the right alberges to stay in, and finding new packs and new shoes for Clemency and just the right sort of polyprops for wearing when walking among all those fields of ripe barley and mature grapes and falling olives.

This morningI woke with images of the long walk across half the Meseta still to come and the prospect of the hill country beyonbd Astorga and as I was just emerging from sleep, the Concert program played this song: L'Amor, written and sung by Arianna Savall. She sings in Catalan, and if you want to know what that part of Spain is like, just listen.

It seemed auspicious. And if not auspicious, at least beautiful

Comments

Elaine Dent said…
A walking adventure! Keep us posted on the planning.
Graham Young said…
Excellent Kelvin and Clemency. Kay is in France right now walking from Le Puy to St Jean. She will be delighted when she reads your post. Lovely song ! Graham Y
Anonymous said…
I have CDs of her singing with her mother if you would be interested. Her Dad is a reasonably competent musician too, I hear ;)
Kelvin Wright said…
Yes,if genetics had anything to do with it she was destined for a musical life. I have the CD- or at least the iTunes download of it - from which the song was taken and another one which is a musical Camino Santiago- songs from various points along the route. I'd like to hear your one.
Simon said…
For a very different but evocative Camino musical experience I recommend Joby Talbot's 'Path of Miracles'.

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