Xicranda releases new album "Al Mestre Roglan"

They discovered LA BARCA XICA even before officially forming as a duo, over ten years ago, and have always believed it to be, until now, their favourite habanera. Their admiration for the work of composer Josep M. Roglan and poet Rafael Llop even played a role in choosing their artistic name: XICRANDA, the name of a South American plant that produces simple yet striking blue and violet flowers, and that has taken root generously around the Mediterranean—just like the habanera tradition. XICRANDA sounds a bit like barca xica, or, if you prefer, barca xica sounds like XICRANDA.

Little did Guillem Payaró (from La Bisbal d’Empordà) and Martí Santacana (from Reus) imagine that, over time, they would become the first performers to share the unpublished works of Josep M. Roglan—pieces that had been recovered by his daughter Gemma years after his passing. A series of interconnected events brought these compositions to their attention, and they decided to incorporate them into their repertoire. These songs have now become the heart of their debut recording, released in early summer 2025. The pieces are striking in their beauty and poetic depth—exactly what one would expect from the composer of one of the most beloved habaneras in Catalonia’s musical landscape, already part of the standard repertoire of many active groups today. And surely, some of the songs on this album will follow the same path as audiences begin to embrace them. Calella—which appears on the album cover—the sea, the boats, the oars, the nets, the waves, the nostalgia… all form the lyrical world to which Roglan set music.

Guillem Payaró and Martí Santacana met while studying at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. Today, in addition to their artistic work as members of the duo XICRANDA, they also dedicate themselves to teaching. Their exceptional musical background ensures the solid, meticulous work that any musical genre requires—especially the habanera.