Juan Echanove - Cántico Espiritual - Luis Santana, Producciones Lastra

Juan Echanove - Cántico Espiritual

Juan Echanove and Luis Santana perform the brief but extraordinary poetic work of San Juan de la Cruz, "Spiritual Canticle," an absolute pinnacle of mystical and amorous poetry in the Spanish language, in an extraordinary recital with original compositions by maestro Víctor Carbajo and accompanied on the cello by María Igual Devesa.

The poems are accompanied by the original music composed for this project, which makes visible the different dimensions (linguistic, classical, biblical, traditional, erotic, moral, mystical) contained in these extraordinary compositions. His poetry is an opening to an encounter with someone who was, without a doubt, exceptionally wise, and who knew, through experience, the possibility of making God.

San Juan de la Cruz uses the language of lovers to describe the relationship between the soul and God. The work is a dialogue between the bride (the soul) and the groom (Christ), where the feelings of longing, encounter, and joy in mystical union are explored. The interpretation by Echanove and Santana seeks to bring this experience closer to the contemporary audience.

JUAN ECHANOVE - Performer

His countless and unforgettable works in theater, film, and television have made him one of the most highly regarded actors by the profession, critics, and the public alike.

On stage, he has performed in more than twenty plays. His previous productions include "To Be or Not to Be" by Ernst Lubitsch, which he also directed (Valladolid Theater Prize for Best Male Performance in 2022-2023), "The Feast of the Goat," adapted from Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, "Red" by John Logan (nominated for Best Actor in the 2018 Fotogramas de Plata Theater Awards); "Dreams," a free adaptation of "Los sueños" by F. de Quevedo directed by Gerardo Vera (Ercilla Award for Best Performance).

Among his stage performances, his leading roles in "Disappearing" stand out. Directed by Calixto Bieto, Anselmo B. Dir.: Adolfo Marsillach or "The Public" and "Untitled Comedy," directed by Lluís Pasqual. As a stage director, he has orchestrated productions such as "Visiting Mr. Green," "People," "Conversations with Mom," and "The Assembly of Women," currently showing "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" by Martin McDonagh.

Also notable is his participation in numerous recitals, lending his voice, among many others, as narrator in Beethoven’s "Egmont" with the Oviedo Filarmonía Orchestra, to poems by Federico García Lorca alongside pianist Azumi Nishizawa, as narrator in Prokofiev’s "Ivan the Terrible" with the Orchestra and Choir of the Community of Madrid, or reciting texts between the incidental music numbers that Shostakovich composed for "Hamlet."

In film, he has worked with directors such as Pedro Almodóvar, Vicente Aranda, Jaime Chávarri, Francisco Regueiro, J. L. García Sánchez, Agustín Díaz Yanes, Fernando Colomo, Mariano Barroso, and Imanol Uribe, among many others. On television, he has participated in numerous productions, with his most recent being "Memento Mori," "Desaparecidos," and "El Cid," all for Amazon Prime Video.

LUIS SANTANA - Baritone

This Zamoran baritone began his musical studies at the age of five, studying with some of the greatest teachers such as Juana Peñalver, Consuelo Barrio, María Teresa Manzano, Miguel Zanetti, and currently with the eminent Spanish tenor Pedro Lavirgen and with Teresa Berganza.

He has performed in the most important theaters and concert halls in our country: Gran Teatro del Liceo, Auditorio Nacional de Música, Fundación Juan March, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Maestranza de Sevilla, Principal de Alicante, Cervantes de Málaga, Miguel Delibes and Teatro Calderón de Valladolid, Romea de Murcia, Auditorio de León, Fundación Príncipe de Asturias, Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Gran Teatro de Córdoba, Gran Teatro de Huelva, Falla de Cádiz, Batel de Cartagena, Principal de Vitoria, Victoria Eugenia de San Sebastián, Palacio de Congresos de Granada, Mérida, Circo de Albacete, Auditorio de Cuenca, San Lorenzo del Escorial, Maestro Padilla de Almería, etc...

Cities such as Rome, Paris, Milan, Naples, Budapest, Toulon, Bucharest, Donetsk, Iasi, Brașov, Lviv, Rousse, Riga, Porto, Lisbon, Vienna, Eisenach...

He has been conducted by batons of the stature of García, Roa, Frizzi, Osa, Wilson, Alapont, Lencko, Vasilenko, Diadura, Monsalve, Abelló, Sainz Alfaro, Ortega, Popa, Mesa, Todorov, and many others...

Memorable concerts at the Basilica of El Pilar in Zaragoza in the presence of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Auditorio Nacional de Música alongside the legendary Orfeón Donostiarra in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, Mozart's Requiem at Seville Cathedral, Brahms' Requiem at the Old Cathedral of Salamanca, Tribute to Victoria de los Ángeles at the church where she was baptized, Tribute to Teresa Berganza and Antón García Abril. Tribute at the Auditorio de Lleida to Ainhoa Arteta. Concert tour with the great Nati Mistral, and the late Paco Valladares on Spanish poetry. Inauguration of the Soriano Musical Autumn Festival under the baton of Odón Alonso. Robles de Laciana International Festival alongside Rosa Torres-Pardo, International Festival of Úbeda, Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, etc...