Lux Aeterna

Description

In the heart of Castile, amidst the silence of the fields and the golden stone of the Royal Monastery of the Dominican Nuns in Caleruega, a flame destined never to be extinguished was born centuries ago. Here, Saint Dominic of Guzmán saw the light, and with him, the radiance of a vocation that would transcend time: the search for truth through words, thought, and beauty

According to tradition, his mother dreamed before his birth of a dog carrying a lit torch. That image, a fire illuminating the night, became the emblem of his life and his mission: to be a bearer of an eternal light that guides, consoles, and transforms. Since then, this eternal light has guided the path of the Order of Preachers and of all who seek, through beauty, a reflection of eternity.

In this same place, where prayer becomes music and the echo of the past converses with the present, three musicians gather to bear witness to a shared journey. More than two decades of friendship and collaboration have forged a bond between them that only time can create: a shared breath, a gaze that understands without words, and a fidelity to sound and its mystery. Recorded in the Dominican Nuns’ Monastery of Caleruega, this album also aspires to be an offering of light.

The repertoire on this album places us in the heart of the Classical period, where music seems to spring from light itself. In their works, there is clarity and balance, but also depth and restrained emotion; a harmony that reflects the serenity of the spirit and the joy of creation. Performed in this monastery, these pieces acquire a new resonance, as if each note sought to join that current of faith and beauty that has spread from Caleruega to the entire world.
Ventus sine Nomine is a group formed by three musicians from the Bilbao Municipal Band who have maintained an intense musical activity for more than twenty-five years. Juan Jesús Silguero (flute), Rafael Climent (clarinet), and Jordi Ripoll (bassoon) are the members of the only chamber music ensemble that has remained a stable presence within the Bilbao Municipal Band.

For the past 25 years, these three instrumentalists have maintained a consistent performance career, giving numerous concerts and contributing to the dissemination of chamber music repertoire. Their work reflects not only a commitment to musical excellence but also a deep dedication to keeping alive a performance tradition that values ​​the dialogue between instruments and the expressive richness of the small ensemble.

Ventus sine Nomine has performed in numerous venues: educational concerts in schools, nursing homes in Bilbao, Burgos, and Cantabria, conservatories in Bilbao, Barcelona, ​​Burgos, and Ciudad Real, the Bidebarrieta Library in Bilbao, concert series at the Church of the Incarnation during Aste Nagusia (Bilbao’s main festival), the auditorium of the University of Deusto, the Convent of San Pablo in Palencia, the Royal Monastery of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Caleruega, the Botín Foundation in Santander, a concert recorded by RNE2 Clásica, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, and even at the Dueso Prison in Santoña, for the festivities of the Virgen de la Merced, its patron saint, in September 2008. Beyond the stages where they have performed, their work represents a commitment to a way of making music based on mutual listening, respect for the repertoire, and a passion for performance.

Lux Aeterna is more than a title. It is a testament and a promise. It is a celebration of music as a path of light, as a bond that unites human beings with the invisible. Just as the dog illuminates the Caleruega coat of arms with its torch, this album also aspires to be a living flame, a spark of eternity kindled in time, a sonic testament to what endures… A declaration of intent that intertwines the spiritual with the earthly.

Juan Jesús Silguero Gorriti