Benito Lertxundi

The renowned Basque singer-songwriter Benito Lertxundi (Orio, 1942) is on tour in support of his 16th album, Oroimenaren oraina (The Present of Past Memories, Elkar, May 2012). His tour has comprised as many as 100 concerts. He has the material for his next album ready, but before going into the recording studio, he will continue to perform live with his great band.

– Many people refer to you as ‘the Bard from Orio’. Do you think of yourself as an heir to those European poets of the Middle Ages, those Basque bertsolaris from the nineteenth century whose mission it was to keep oral traditions alive?

– I prefer to focus on my work and my contemporary audiences.

– There must be some days when you don’t say a single word in Spanish…

– Well, not a single word in Spanish is a little bit too much, I’d say.

– What language do you use to think? Do you think in Basque?

– In the world we live in, one has to think in both languages.

– The tour in support of your 16th album, Oroimenaren oraina, is about to finish. How many live performances have you delivered?

– About 90 or 100 since 2013.

– And how do you feel about them?

– The feeling, especially in the latest concerts, is that I feel closer than ever to the stage experience. (Excerpts from the interview by O. Cubillo)