Samuel Diz & Jonatan Alvarado

In their new project, “El mal de l’amor – The Songbook of Gustavo Durán”, Spanish guitarist and Argentine singer Jonatan Alvarado celebrate the music of Gustavo Durán, who was the youngest composer associated with the celebrated Generation of ’27 (Lorca, Dali, Alberti). Forced into exile after the Spanish Civil War, never to return to his homeland, he continued to compose for the rest of his life, although much remained unpublished and unheard.
The songs, originally written for piano and voice, highlight Durán’s nostalgia for Spain, particularly the Canary Islands, while reflecting encounters with diverse folk traditions across Europe and Latin America, featuring multiple languages: Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician, Portuguese and Greek, as well as Galician-Portuguese and Provençal. An album was released this year, produced by the composer’s daughter, renowned music producer and ethnomusicologist, Lucy Durán.