The Home of Masterclass Al-Andalus

Alcalá la Real is situated 71 kilometres (44 miles) from the provincial capital, Jaén, and 53 kilometres (33 miles) from Granada, on the slopes of La Mota, a hill in the Sierra Sur. The town is dominated by a large Moorish fortress around which the settlement evolved. Alcalá la Real is connected to the Guadalquivir valley via the Guadajoz tributary.

Remains from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age show the human presence in the area in Prehistoric times. It has been hypothesized that this was one of the last places inhabited by Neanderthal Man. Despite the presence of remains from the Iberians, dating to the late Bronze Age, the first traces of urban structures date to the Roman times. Archaeological findings include a marble statue of Hercules, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain at Madrid. Today, Alcalá la Real is a lovely and vibrant city of great history and culture.  

Scenes from Alcalá la Real:

Duende

Masterclass Al-Andalus is dedicated to exploring the legacy of Al-Andalus and what it can bring to the performer. One inescapable legacy of Al-Andalus is that of "Duende". An indescribable spiritual experience of music and life, one cannot help but to be influenced, and perhaps forever changed, when it appears.

While no one can teach duende, nor possess it to use at will in performance, an encounter with it will not fail to leave us changed. Although beyond our control, duende often returns to those who recognize and acknowledge it, and it often appears more frequently in performers lives after having experienced it.

For that reason, Masterclass Al-Andalus creates opportunities to experience duende, or at least for our participants to glimpse it. And with that single glimpse, we will learn what is possible in the realm of artistic expression.

"All through Andalusia, from the rock of Jaén to the snail’s-shell of Cadiz, people constantly talk about the duende and recognise it wherever it appears with a fine instinct. That wonderful singer El Lebrijano, creator of the Debla, said: ‘On days when I sing with duende no one can touch me.’: the old Gypsy dancer La Malena once heard Brailowsky play a fragment of Bach, and exclaimed: ‘Olé! That has duende!’ but was bored by Gluck, Brahms and Milhaud. And Manuel Torre, a man who had more culture in his veins than anyone I’ve known, on hearing Falla play his own Nocturno del Generalife spoke this splendid sentence: ‘All that has dark sounds has duende.’ And there’s no deeper truth than that.

Those dark sounds are the mystery, the roots that cling to the mire that we all know, that we all ignore, but from which comes the very substance of art. ‘Dark sounds’ said the man of the Spanish people, agreeing with Goethe, who in speaking of Paganini hit on a definition of the duende: ‘A mysterious force that everyone feels and no philosopher has explained.’

So, then, the duende is a force not a labour, a struggle not a thought. I heard an old maestro of the guitar say: ‘The duende is not in the throat: the duende surges up, inside, from the soles of the feet.’ Meaning, it’s not a question of skill, but of a style that’s truly alive: meaning, it’s in the veins: meaning, it’s of the most ancient culture of immediate creation."

— Federico Garcia Lorca

Cultural Immersion Events

Apart from the masterclasses and concerts, the schedule includes lecture presentations on the history of the region, as well as tours of historic sites within Andalusia, including Granada's Alhambra, Córdoba's 8th century Mezquita Mosque, and Alcalá la Real's Medieval fortress "La Mota".  These tours will offer each participant a deeper understanding of  the unique history, culture, and influence of Al-Andalus. Further experiences with local culture include a festive “guiso” (stew), prepared and enjoyed with local residents. Every year, this event is a highlight for masterclass participants.