Begoña Olavide | it

Begoña Olavide is a pioneer in the recreation of Spanish music of the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly the music of "Al-Andalus", i.e. the Moorish period. She has described herself as fascinated by the three cultures - Islamic, Christian and Jewish - that co-existed in Spain at this time. She is a virtuoso psaltery (qanun) player, which she took up after finding a "forgotten" instrument. According to the sleeve notes for her album "Toques in Tiempo": "There was no-one who knew how it should be played, nor what possibilities it possessed". Before that, she had played the flute. Alongside her...