Improvisaciones
CD 1
improvisation 1 2:02
improvisation 2 3:09
improvisation 3 5:15
improvisation 4 1:11
improvisation 5 5:12
improvisation 6 2:17
improvisation 7 4:43
improvisation 8 3:35
improvisation 9 5:09
improvisation 10 1:59
improvisation 11 10:35
Total time: 45:12
CD 2
improvisation 12 21:27
improvisation 13 8:27
improvisation 14 4:27
improvisation 15 2:30
improvisation 16 15:08
improvisation 17 5:31
Total time: 57:33
Germán Valverde Usano _ pipe organ
Recorded at Capilla de San Agustín, Capillas (Palencia/Spain) on 16 September 2016 Recording, editing, mixing and mastering: by Javier Monteverde / Cezanne Productions (Madrid / Spain) Photos: Javier Monteverde
I am not, nor have ever been, a roof,
although I am full of pipes:
and for me, nothing can be good
if it is damp, or wet
this is my lot;
and though I live on air,
I convey my sustenance
in moderation,
and the highs ones become low with a little breath.
For a confessor, my name
is undoubtedly good,
that is my fortune
although I have nothing of man
it’s true that I astound
the most knowledgeable of men,
that, having never been taught,
I can sing harmoniously
and despite being a dead body,
I can cause so much noise.
Lauro Blanco Gómez (the cheeky one)
Castile and Leon has perhaps one of the lowest profiles of all Spain’s Autonomous Communities in terms of international tourism. In 2016 in the city of Palencia, capital of the province of the same name, and part of the aforementioned Autonomous Community, I had the incredibly good fortune of meeting Lauro Blanco, member of the Board of Directors of said province’s Tadeo Ortega Cultural Association. He devoted his time to teaching me and explaining a number of nearby locations, villages and churches to me. I was struck by the scenery and, above all, those half-empty villages which still have cathedral-sized churches, with impressive historical backgrounds.
But what struck me most was seeing how almost all the churches contained Spanish baroque organs (also known as Iberian organs), many of which were in perfect working order, though some unfortunately were not. It was in one of these villages, Capillas (Spain) to be exact, that I had the great pleasure of meeting a man named Germán Valverde, an agricultural mechanic by profession and self-taught musician, and listening to his improvised performances
on the organ at San Agustín church, where he is the guardian of the historic archives. […]
(Maria de Alvear)
