Musical tribute to Pantoja

With a set of wooden recorders, a musical duo took the audience to the Baroque era and retraced the route of Spanish Jesuit Diego de Pantoja, whose odyssey helped establish the early bond between China and Spain.

The singsong concert held recently marked the end of The Year of Diego de Pantoja, a series of events hosted by Spain's Cervantes Institute through 2018, commemorating the 400th anniversary of Pantoja's death in Macao.

The concert showcased the journey of Pantoja and other European missionaries to Asia, and their contributions to globalization. The pieces ranged from duets written in Pantoja's birthplace Valdemoro to hymns performed by missionaries in the Forbidden City in Beijing.