The irrepressible energy of the people of Burgos transformed the 200th concert of the Sounds in Nature Festival into a true contemporary folk celebration; a wild, modern festival that managed to infect the large audience present at the Valonga Estate (Belver de Cinca) and lead them to a feeling of absolute happiness.
The dozens of peacocks that still lingered near the stage area scurried in terror to hide in their roosts. They felt threatened by the overflowing energy of five human beings—Castilians, they emphasized—who exuded a contagious and infectious joy for life. The "chicks" of El Nido not only draw from Castilian folklore, but transform it into an elixir that guarantees eternal youth.
Yesterday's concert wasn't your typical performance, with a rhythm building to a crescendo and some kind of climax. With these guys from Burgos, the ecstasy is reached with the first song and never lets up until a chaotic finale where the musicians are indistinguishable from the audience. Afterward, they started selling paprika to the crowd at their merchandise stand . Paprika is one of the basic ingredients in Burgos black pudding (which they didn't mention), and they use it as a metaphor for their commitment to local sourcing. They used large tins of paprika, like tambourines, and some smaller ones to place on the drum kit's cymbal , creating a rural "flying cymbal" effect.
However, the result wasn't even remotely bizarre. Behind that high school band appearance, the constant back and forth, and the singing or playing into each other's microphones, lies a tremendous amount of musical work. Everything is meticulously planned, everything fits together perfectly, even though it all seems spontaneous and wild. Everyone plays with their hands and feet. With their feet, they play the electronics and backing tracks; and with their hands, they play conventional instruments: drums, guitars, bass, violin; and other less common instruments: sticks, mortars, spoons, hoes, and cans.
It was impossible to take a picture of them that wasn't blurry, except halfway through the recital, when they sang "Arrorró ," a lullaby they dedicated to all the mothers and grandmothers who have been and will be the driving force behind the oral transmission of culture, in Castile and throughout the world, as they rightly pointed out. The percussionist-drummer kept the rhythm of the lullaby by striking a hoe (or rather, a large hoe) with a horseshoe. It was perhaps the only moment of folkloric austerity in the 200th SoNna Huesca concert.
El Nido presented their new album, La Constancia , at Finca Valonga , a work in which jotas, charros, and agudillos are elegantly transformed into the kind of folk rave music from the Castilian plateau. “After a summer of touring and playing on stage, performing in a place like this, right on the grass, is fascinating.” Eneko Lecumberri—director and vocalist—didn't speak much, but everything he said came from the heart. He had words for firefighters and forest rangers; for the Castilian Comuneros, for Palestine, and for all those peoples who defend their language and identity. Coming from Castile, it carried even more weight.
The only version they played was presented with devotion and historical respect. It was " Somos castellanos, " the song Orégano released during the transition to democracy (1977), which became the anthem of a Castile emerging as a nation. "We are not a people who oppress; only tyrants oppress." The original song played in the background after the concert had ended.
The finale was spectacular. They saved their 2024 collaboration with Rodrigo Cuevas, " Tucucu ," for the final encore, and with it, they swept the audience into a vibrant, intergenerational, and heartwarming frenzy. The crowd crouched, sang, and jumped around like they were possessed. If they tell their therapist about it, they can skip therapy this week.
El Nido didn't talk about wine. They didn't mention Ribera del Duero or the Arlanza region of Burgos. It's assumed that, although they didn't participate in the tasting and guided tour organized by the Valonga winery an hour and a half before the concert, they were perhaps impressed by the estate, which gets more beautiful every year.
Vineyards, walnut trees, olive groves, fruit trees… Here, biodiversity is synonymous with agriculture. On the walls of the winery's main section hang several framed photographs of the eldest of the three Teresas in the family, whose names are now embodied in an oak-aged red wine blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, and Syrah (Las Tres Teresas). These are photos of Ferrán and Teresa Ferrer's mother in the vineyard. Photos of the family that has run Finca Valonga for three generations (since 1931). These "Teresas" are a living example of the kind of women to whom El Nido would later dedicate their lullaby, Arrorró.
The SoNna travels to Fraella (Grañén) and Ballobar
Today, the Sounds in Nature Festival turns west to the Fountain of Memories in Fraella (Grañén). There, the Peruvian duo Alejandro Ribas and María Laura Bustamante, known as Alejandro and María Laura, will make their SoNna Huesca debut. Restless and nostalgic explorers, their music is a blend of indie and pop rhythms with a subtle folk touch. Alejandro and María Laura are a duo from Peru, based in Paiporta, Valencia.
The setting for the Peruvian duo's recital (7:30 p.m.) couldn't be more idyllic. Having become an unforgettable spot just a few years ago, when it was restored after six decades covered over and covered with moss, the Fuente de los Recuerdos (Fountain of Memories) in Fraella is both the starting point and the destination for hiking trails in the Monegros region.
The weekend's closing event on Sunday features the Catalan group Terrae at La Sierra de Ballobar Forest Park (7:30 p.m.). Terrae is a journey downriver through the history and cultural heritage of the Terres de l'Ebre region; an amalgamation of sounds, rhythms, and songs that exude a deep love for the landscapes, the river, and the land. Andreu Peral and Genís Bagés pay homage to the place where they grew up, the lands of the Ebro.
Terrae will visit the La Sierra de Ballobar Forest Park, in the shade of its famous riverbanks. Located at one end of the town of Ballobar, the Sierra pine forest or La Sierra Forest Park is a wooded green space with picnic areas, a recreational area and a fountain, where a trail begins that would take us to the top of the Ballobar riverbanks (GR-261).
