1492: The Fall of Granada

Available for 36 days

In February 1492, in the gardens of the Alhambra Palace, Granada, a Moorish musician named Ayaya Fisteli bows before the thrones of the newly installed Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. Only weeks earlier, the Emirate of Granada had formally surrendered, ending more than seven centuries of Muslim rule in Iberia. Now, Fisteli stands beneath the intricate domes of the Hall of the Ambassadors, waiting to learn whether he may continue as Warden of the Minstrels and jongleurs under the new regime – a moment that opens a wider story about cultural exchange, upheaval and the musical life of late medieval Spain. Gillian Moore is joined by a roster of distinguished historians for this major new BBC Radio 3 series, charting a course through 1000 years of classical music history. For the first eight programmes, historian Michael Wood is in the chair, as together they explore the bold new sound worlds of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Producer: Amelia Parker Academic Consultant: Professor Laura Tunbridge, University of Oxford Story Consultant: Kate Leys Series Editor for BBC Audio: Emma Harding Key Changes theme tune composed by Joseph Howard and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kerem Hasan. MUSIC DETAILS: Luys de Narváez: Paseabase el rey moro Capella de Ministrers Carles Magraner, conductor Anon/al Khatib: Lamma bada yathathana Lena Chamamyan, soprano Cantigas de Santa Maria – Des oge mais Ensemble Obsidienne Juan del Encina: El que rige y el regido La Capella Reial de Catalunya Hespèrion XXI Jordi Savall, conductor Cornago: Mappa mundi Euskal Barrokensemble Gaspar Fernandes: Xicochi conetzintle BBC Singers Juan de Araujo: Aquí, valentones Ex Cathedra Jeffrey Skidmore, conductor Albéniz: Zambra granadina David Russell, guitar Camaron de la Isla: Yo vendo pescaito – Bulerías Camaron de la Isla Traditional Andalusian, arr. Lorca: Tres morillas Hirundo Maris Petter Udland Johansen, tenor Arianna Savall, vocals Debussy: La puerta del vino (from Preludes, Book II) Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano