Chan Centre EXP Series: Tarta Relena

Catalan duo Tarta Relena reimagines song traditions across generations and geographies. Making their Vancouver debut, contralto Marta Torrella and soprano Helena Ros effortlessly blend modern and ancient sounds into spellbinding harmonies and hypnotic polyphony. Drawing from Gregorian chants, Mediterranean folk music, and songs from Crete, Corsica, Mallorca and Menorca, the vocal duo sings the stories of powerful, mythic women from Hildegard of Bingen and Virgin Mary to the Paixu tribe of women in Afghanistan.

Though the origins of their songs can be millennia old, “their vision of folk is no museum piece; it is contemporary, alive, and buzzing with portent.” (Pitchfork)

Co-presented with Vancouver New Music