The Show
On the eve of the release of their album, 9 Dead Alive, the incomparable Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela performed at Upper Manhattan’s Hispanic Society of America for an episode of public television’s Live From the Artists Den. The two virtuoso musicians played a dazzling 12-song set in the century-old museum’s Bancaja Gallery, surrounded by the fourteen paintings that make up Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida’s masterwork “Vision of Spain,” a celebration of the country’s diverse customs. It was a breathtaking setting for Rodrigo y Gabriela’s unique fusion of musical genres, a mix of melodic beauty and percussive fury which drove the 300 invited guests into clapping, stomping glee.
It was a breathtaking setting for Rodrigo y Gabriela’s unique fusion of musical genres.
Behind the Den
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Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero met growing up in Mexico City and bonded over a shared love for heavy metal music. After moving to Europe, they gained renown for their dazzling acoustic guitar work and genre-bending fusion of flamenco, metal, and rock and roll while busking on the streets of Dublin. The duo has released four studio albums since its debut, Re-Foc, in 2002 and has become a favorite at music festivals worldwide. In 2011, they collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and contributed to the soundtrack for Puss In Boots. Rodrigo y Gabriela’s fifth album, 9 Dead Alive, was released on April 29th, 2014. Their latest album, Mettavolution, released in April 2019.
The Venue
The Hispanic Society of America is a museum and reference library dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. Founded in 1904, the institution is in its original location in a Beaux Arts building on Audubon Terrace, on land that was originally part of a farm belonging to painter and naturalist John James Audubon. The museum contains works by Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Goya, El Greco, and Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, in addition to a rare books collection, including a first edition of Don Quijote. Photography courtesy of Kyle Dean Reinford for Artists Den Entertainment.
