A La Vida Bona!

 When we talk about the 'Chaconne', most of us spontaneously think of a variation series on a repeated bass motif, usually in a slow three-four beat. Almost automatically, we hear the four descending, plaintive bass notes of the magisterial Chaconne from Bach's second violin partita. The original Chaconne or Ciaccona, however, was cut from a very different cloth. It was originally a fast and lively dance that arose from the cross-pollination of different cultures in the overseas Spanish colonies. The lyrics were bawdy, naughty or roundly vulgar, the dance movements suggestive, the music rousing. These forbidden dances were so popular in their time that they could not be prevented from slipping in even through convent doors. A striking example is the 17th-century 'A la vida Bona' by Catalan composer Juan Arañés. The song is bulging with scenes that seem to have escaped from a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. 
The GLoW Collective takes this musical form as a starting point for an exploration of different cultures and genres. They draw parallels to the contemporary hip-hop scene through lyrics by Belgian Congolese actor, singer and producer Pitcho Womba Konga. Effortlessly, they juxtapose a reworking of the 17th-century 'A la Vida Bona' with newly written work by composer Prach Boondiskulchok. All with one aim in mind: to prove that life is a celebration, even today. 
Un Sarao de la Chacona, A La Vida Bona!