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08/10/2008

The group Bóreas Cámara presents its new album ‘Pack of New Cotillons’, which was taped in Santa María Cathedral

               Vitoria-Gasteiz, October 8, 2008.- Today, the group Boreas Cámara from Vitoria is presenting its album  ‘Pack of New Cotillons’, a work taped in Santa María Cathedral, which was suggested by a deck of playing cards, small popular artefacts from the late eighteenth century that had been found at the Fournier Museum of Playing Cards in the capital of Álava.

 The work originated in the Museum’s warehouse where a most unusual deck of playing cards had been stored: each card has the music to a small dance written on them.  The deck is one of two surviving copies of “Longman and Lukey’s Complete Pack of New Cotillons”.  It seems that Thomas de la Rue’s collection, which is made up of 500 decks and other sheets, sketches and books, one of which was labelled number 365, was acquired by Félix Alfaro Fournier in 1970 at a public auction in Sotheby’s.  Álava’s Regional Government bought the entire collection in 1984.

                  Boreas Cámara was captivated from the start by the musical air given off by these cards, which is why setting them to music was an easy task. Musicologist Josean San Miguel was hired to help develop the instrumentation.

 The album is a compilation of dance music in vogue during the late eighteenth century and encompasses a very broad spectrum that ranges from medieval times to the Classical era, including the Renaissance and Baroque periods.  Most of these small popular pieces were composed for entertainment purposes.

 ‘Pack of New Cotillons’ was taped entirely in the choir of Santa María Cathedral at night last July 6-11.  The work also enjoys economic support from the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council.

 Albums are on sale at the Visitors Welcome Centre in Santa María Cathedral (Plaza de Brullerías) for €10 each.