October 8, Wednesday, 7 pm
St. Catherine’s Church, Vilniaus g. 30
Fiesta Española
Flamenco and Spanish music of the 16th and 17th century
Mercedes Hernández - soprano, Spain
Elva La Guardia - dance, voice, castanets, Spain
UNITED CONTINUO ENSEMBLE Germany
- Bernward Jaime Rudolph - baroque guitar, flamenco guitar
- Thomas C. Boysen - vihuela de mano, baroque guitar
- Thomas Hickstein - flamenco guitar
- Jörg Meder - viols
- Martin Piechotta - percussion
Mercedes Hernández was born in Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Her vocal
studies, with a specialisation in early music, were completed at the Conservatory of Toulouse, the
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and at the Musikhochschule in Trossingen, under such professors as
Guillemette Laurens and Richard Levitt. She has also been a student of Montserrat Figueras. The soprano
has worked with La Capella Reial de Catalunya under the direction of Jordi Savall since 1991,
participating in recordings of the “Cantigas de Santa Maria” and “El misteri”.
She has appeared as soloist on recordings with Le Parlement de Musique under the direction of Martin
Gester. She is a member of Resonet, an ensemble founded in 1990 in Santiago de Compostela, which has
released four CDs on the theme of pilgrimage. Mercedes Hernández sings with Ensemble Elyma, the Harp
Consort, La Fenice. She has been singing with the United Continuo Ensemble since 2000.
In May of 2000 Hernández made her début at the Basel Theatre in the role of the Primadonna
Stonatrilla in Florian Gassmann's “L'Opera Seria” and in February of 2002 at the Gran Teatro del Liceu
under the direction of Jordi Savall as the Ninfa in Monteverdi's “L'Orfeo”.
Elva La Guardia obtained her first singing education with her father Jorge La Guardia
and followed this with master classes under José de Udaeta in Sidges. In 1990 she completed her studies at
the renowned Amor de Dios dance academy in Madrid.
Elva La Guardia has appeared in numerous film and television productions as a singer, dancer and choreographer
of her own compositions. She has also participated in many CD productions, including recordings by the NDR big
band of compositions by Steve Gray, projects with her duo partner Thomas Hickstein and recordings with Tierra.
In 2002 she was engaged as a solo dancer for the “Flamenco Fantasie” project with Gustavo Montesano and the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been performing regularly with the United Continuo Ensemble since 2001 and has
been a major contributor to the development of the Fiesta Española” program.
The United Continuo Ensemble, founded in 1995 by the viol player Jörg Meder, is a formation
of musicians that play basso continuo instruments. The ensemble works with singers, dancers and actors,
as well as with other instrumentalists. A further important component of the ensemble's work is the often
experimental combination of early and modern music. The United Continuo Service works as well as an agent
responsible for the organisation of such projects.
The ensemble gave its début in 1995 at the Internationale Fredener Musiktage with contralto Renée Morloc. Further
engagements at the Musiktage followed in 2000 and 2002 with a production of Telemann's opera “Pimpnone”. This
production was also given at the Piazza von E.ON Energie in Munich in 2003 and at the Fränkischer Sommer in 2004.
The ensemble experimented with improvisation in 1996 for artist Jürgen Schneyder's “Strandgutarchitektur”
exhibition in Hannover. In 1997 a CD recording, “Chiaccona”, with the lutenist Axel Wolf followed, was released.
In 1998 a CD recording of Heinrich Schütz's “Musicalische Exequien” with the Hannover Knabenchor followed. The
ensemble performed Bach cantatas with modern dance in a dance-theatre production “O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort”,
for EXPO 2000 in Hannover. Programs such as the “Fiesta Española” and the musical theatre production “Eine
Venezianische Nacht” have been performed in recent years at numerous German festivals. The ensemble has also
twice been invited to play in Mexican festivals, in 2001 and in 2002.
In 2003 the United Continuo Ensemble, together with Wolf Biermann, organised an NDR event, performing J. S.
Bach's cantata “Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis” together with texts by Wolf Biermann.
Web Site of UNITED CONTINUO ENSEMBLE