Montserrat Figueras,"Yo Soy la Locura"
Spoiler:
La Folia (pronounce as 'lah foh-LEE-ah', literally meaning madness, folly, or empty-headedness is one of the most remarkable phenomena in the history of music. This simple but intriguing tune was first published in 1672. Its roots go back to the 16th century. It would remain a major challenge for numerous composers up to the present day; ranging from a part of a famous Bach Cantata to a popular film tune in the hit charts by Vangelis. The flexibility of the theme to incorporate and adapt features of new musical styles is not only amazing but also essential for its survival. Another striking feature is the variety of instruments used to play the theme in a completely natural way. How about bassoon, bird-organ, brass quintet, carillon, clavichord, English handbells, mandolin, nyckelharpa, rebab, salterio and sitar to name a few?
In most literature La Folia ceased to exist in the middle of the 19th century with a convulsion in the 1930's with the variations by Rachmaninoff and Ponce. But in fact the theme of La Folia has never been so popular for composers as in the last decades.
The most striking feature of La Folia, however is that the theme is not well-known to a larger public, although more than 150 composers for over 330 years made lots of brilliant variations. I hope this site will contribute to the fame La Folia deserves in the history of music.
http://www.folia.tk/