Viva la Gracia! is an ode to joy, a tribute to the communities that have shaped and coloured the soundscapes of modern-day Bolivia. This travel diary travels through time, blending today's celebrations with echoes of yesterday, dreaming of colonial festivities where Spanish, African and indigenous musicians shared a common breath, as if in fragile harmony.

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Since the 16th century, villancicos de remedo have flourished on the Iberian Peninsula, crossing the ocean to spread across Latin America. These songs, imbued with laughter and a sacred essence, accompanied Christmas celebrations, Marian celebrations and Jesuit pomp. Through their melodies, they sketch out a musical vision of “the other”, imitating with tenderness or mischief the accents, dances and rhythms of those who inhabit this vast world.

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Over the centuries, this fascination with otherness has continued to inspire. At the heart of the 20th century, Bolivian composers integrated these heritages into celebrations that intertwine elements that can be identified as coming from African rhythms, Baroque harmonies and Andean melodies. These influences are expressed in music imbued with syncretism, where sacred fervour converses with earthly pulsations.

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Under a sky where the Virgin and the Pachamama merge, the popular rhythms soar, carried by a grace that seems to descend from the divine while echoing in the momentum of dancing bodies. This music, a sacred breath and a living prayer, embodies an embrace between the celestial and the terrestrial, while calling for the recognition of long-forgotten voices.