La Cuadra de Sevilla
"Imágenes Andaluzas para Carmina Burana" (Andalusian Images for Carmina Burana)
La Cuadra was founded towards the end of 1971 under the direction of Salvador Távora who takes an aesthetic and social attitude towards the folkloric manipulation of the Andalusian culture, and converts it into a theatrical phenomenon which is completely different. Based on the deepest expressions of daily life in Andalusia, Tavora creates a specific language that could perhaps be defined as poetry of the senses. He does not use language as his sole means of communication but introduces elements which are not usually contemplated for use in the theatre. Over the past twenty-five years Tavora has created twelve shows for La Cuadra, all of which have been the voice of Andalusia culture. These have been enjoyed by more than two million spectators in thirty countries and one hundred and twenty-six International Festivals in the three thousand-odd presentations.
The current show, Imágenes Andaluzas para Carmina Burana, is sheer madness, audacity of the imagination. The music and chorus by Carl Orff demonstrate that art has roots but no frontiers, that the sources of artistic inspiration are always spreading and are never tied by eras, languages or countries.
This anthology of medieval poems found in a Benedictine abbey was taken from manuscripts written during the 12th and 13th centuries. This poetry completely fascinated Orff who immediately set about composing the music for the theatrical performance which has made him famous worldwide. It is hardly surprising that Salvador Távora was fascinated as Orff´s music conjured up strong images even before Távora could understand the words of the poetry. Strangely, many of these images conjured up by Távora coincided with the spirit of the poems without him realising so at first. The primitive content of the ancient manuscript written by clerics and goliards was used against the hierarchy of the church and those with power. Carmina Burana is a virgin of the times of García Lorca: an attractive, sensual Andalusian woman.
