Darío Moreira – Man Raíz (Self-Released, 2025)
Spanish composer Darío Manuel González Moreira, better known as Darío Moreira, reinterprets traditional Galician cantigas through an intimate interplay of exquisite, masterful guitar and warm, intimate vocals. In Galicia’s musical environment, the guitar becomes a bridge between past and present, its timbral, rhythmic, and harmonic capabilities paint captivating soundscapes. This album particularly highlights work songs, melodies that have endured across generations in northwestern Spain, preserving cultural memory.
The handprint worn into the stone of Santiago de Compostela’s cathedral by centuries of pilgrims serves as a metaphor for oral tradition. Timeless songs, like whispered histories, pass from one generation to the next, leaving imprints while absorbing influences. Moreira’s interpretations connect listeners to a collective cultural heritage, reflecting an ever-expanding, interconnected world.
His guitar dialogues with medieval string instruments, the West African kora, and the classical harp, draw inspiration from Argentine music, classical impressionism, and flamenco. The concept of the hand, both as a physical and symbolic root, underscores this project, embodying craftsmanship, memory, and the sensory connection to tradition.
Tracklist
Na Romería / Pasar los rigores chiflando (Traditional – Darío Moreira)
Agulla de Prata / Luz sola flotando (Traditional – Darío Moreira)
A Rianxeira (Lyrics: Pinciñas; Music: Anxo Romero Loxo – Darío Moreira)
Marianais (Traditional – Darío Moreira)
Pájaros perdidos golpean en mi ventana (Darío Moreira)
Panos de Tafetán (Traditional – Darío Moreira)
Mariana / Por entre vimbios e fentas (Traditional – Darío Moreira)
The instrumental sections, complementing traditional lyrics, draw their titles from early 20th-century poets who experienced exile:
Pasar los rigores chiflando: The guitar coda in Na Romería references Changuito Riojano, from Atahualpa Yupanqui’s Piedra Sola.
Luz sola flotando: The prelude and interlude of Agulla de Prata nod to Maruja Mallo’s Poemas para un Árbol.
Pájaros perdidos golpean en mi ventana: A solo guitar piece inspired by Marianais, its title adapts a verse by Zenobia Camprubí, itself influenced by Rabindranath Tagore.
Por entre vimbios e fentas: The guitar coda in Mariana echoes A Xoaniña Andeira, a poem from Cantarolas by Xosé Neira Vilas.
Moreira’s research draws from key collections of Galician traditional music, including: Gravaciones Históricas de Zanfona – Faustino Santalices; Cancioneiro Popular Galego – Dorothé Schubarth & Antón Santamarina; and Cancionero Gallego – Eduardo Martínez Torner & Jesús Bal y Gay.
A classically trained guitarist from the Vigo Conservatory, Moreira’s technique evolved due to an early left-arm injury, leading him to develop a highly expressive style. As a founding member of the folk group Na Lúa, he immersed himself in Galician traditional music, performing over a hundred concerts and collaborating with major artists. His self-directed studies in composition expanded his focus to orchestral writing, particularly for stringed instruments like the harp.
Grounded in historical technique yet innovative in approach, Moreira’s work integrates extended techniques documented in Renaissance vihuela, flamenco guitar, and archaic string instruments like the Byzantine lyre. His solo debut explores new musical territories, mixing music with science, philosophy, and art in an interdisciplinary vision of tradition and modernity.
Author: Madison Quinn
