YOLANDA BLANCO
NONANTZIN
Music to feed one's soul
I wanted to write songs that would keep tamed the wild storms
of our day-to-say living.
I wanted songs that would provide people with words to live by,
yet simple songs.
Songs that would allow the listeners
to feel my country’s sun,
volcanoes and lakes.
I realized that the lyrics had already been written.
They had been written by the poets of Nicaragua.
I took a group of those poems and
set them to music—that is how Nonantzin was born.
Open your ears and heart and allow yourself
to go into a spiritual journey.
Be refreshed by the tropical
and mystical rhythms.
Let Yolanda Blanco’ s sweet vocals
and her ability to weave poetic images
into a quilt of beautiful melodies soothe your spirit.
Nonantzin features 16 musical renditions
of poems by major Nicaraguan poets:
Ernesto Cardenal, José Coronel Urtecho,
Gioconda Belli, Carlos MartÃnez Rivas,
JoaquÃn Pasos, Ana Ilce, Salomón de la Selva,
and Pablo Antonio Cuadra.
Nonantzin will let you experience
the spiritual force
and transcendent beauty
of Nicaraguan poetry set to music.
This CD serves several purposes simultaneously, it tames and soothes the savage beast while showing us humanity in all it's forms, both ugly and beautiful. Yolanda Blanco's first effort is a solid release that proudly displays her Nicaraguan heritage via the words of it's countries most renowned poets. Conceptually it is an interesting concept, putting poetry to music. Yolanda Blanco, herself a published poet, shares the collective spirit of her people in a most tranquil and soothing voice. The simplicity of the lyrics is anything but as the message is often profound. Sometimes the poems are so short that the chorus is repeated several times to accentuate the point of the poem. The themes, although often nationalistic, go beyond boundaries with their universal appeal. Yolanda's voice is soothing, with her tenderness, hush tones that are almost soft whispers, breathless vocals that are both sensuous and intriguing. The poetry is a perfect vehicle for a glimpse into her artistic soul.
Content:
1. Lamento de la doncella en la muerte del guerrero (Pablo Antonio Cuadra)
2. República de poetas (Pablo Antonio Cuadra)
3. Canción del amor para el otoño (José Coronel Urtecho)
4. Escrito junto a una flor azul (Pablo Antonio Cuadra)
5. Yo, la que te quiere (Gioconda Belli)
6. Nonantzin (Pablo Antonio Cuadra)
7. La bala (Salomón de la Selva)
8. La tierra de los grandes cielos (Ana Ilce)
9. La noche es una mujer desconocida (Pablo Antonio Cuadra)
10. Niña cortada de un árbol (Pablo Antonio cuadra)
11. Al perderte yo a ti (Ernesto Cardenal)
12. Cantada (José Coronel Urtecho)
13. VenÃ, lluvia, venite (Yolanda Blanco)
14. Cuando los dorados corteses florecieron (Ernesto Cardenal)
15. Romanzón (Carlos MartÃnez Rivas)
16. Pequeño canto para bien parir (JoaquÃn Pasos)
