TÉNTERE, NUBLO

Téntere, nublo is a site-specific public performance for Tudela’s historic district, in the North of Spain, culminating in a participatory sound performance in La Casa del Almirante.
The piece is based on an ancient local incantation meant to protect crops against violent weather. Using this ritual as a starting point, the piece expands into a sonic choreography of the old city of Tudela inspired by local flora and fauna, performed by women from the region.

Like the original ritual from which the piece takes its name, Téntere, nublo is a dialogue between local human and nonhuman elements, an act of listening to the natural landscape and responding in kind: percussionists play to the storks nesting in Tudela´s cathedral, horn players adopt the calls of Ebro river birds, and artichokes are given a chance to sing.

At the center of the performance is the historic diversity of Tudela´s human landscape. Women of Tudela, each of whom began their lives in different countries and cultures, will sing songs from their own native traditions, combined with the traditional sounds of their adoptive Navarra. This multicultural chorus asks us to reflect on how a region´s heritage is defined, and which voices are recognized as a part of it.

For the closing section of the piece, the audience is invited to join in the chorus facing Bardenas in a modern reimagining of the ancient ritual, chanting to the forces of nature to banish hail and bring the gentle rains that nourish the soil and all who depend on it.

With the collaboration of de Maitane Beaumont and with the following artists participating:

Paula Adrian – euphonium
Sandra Serrano – euphonium
The Reading Room (Eliana Beltrán y Rocio Campaña) – Ciconia ciconia and percussion
María Herrera – voice
Susana Fernández – accordion
Laura and Samo – voice and guitar
Sandra Miranda – voice
Ndey Fatou Sey – voice
Mariya Eneva Georgieva – voice
Melodia Jimenez – voice

Belén Esparza – Tapestries design

Commissioned by Fundación Maria Forcada
Illustration by Nuria Marqués

Photos by Fundación Maria Forcada and Michael Sugarman