Valentine’s Day is almost upon us (groan) and the cold, dreary grey days of January continue to scrape by.

What is missing is the heady mix of heat... passion.. and Spanish castanets to whisk away the winter blues.

These are the Latin heartbeats of Margarita and the House of Love, a concert laced with continental classical music, folk and love — in all its forms.

The show, which comes to the Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon, on Sunday, February 9, has been conceived, written and brought into being in Oxford, entirely by Oxford-based performers.

With music by the likes of Granados, de Falla, Rodrigo, Lorca and other Spanish composers it is performed by mezzo-soprano Nicola Harrison and the band Casa Margarita.

“The show is an intimate experience that takes each individual member of the audience along with it,” says Nicola.

“It’s not just music but the story which takes you on a journey to the human heart — it works on lots of levels.”

The plot hones in on Jiraldo as he sits on a roof, watching the sun set over Seville. In spite of a sparse props (a few rugs and lanterns set the scene), the scene is evoked: a boarding house sprawling over four floors, hoarding the stories of those who have lodged there as well as their stories of love lost and found, bought and sold.

Nicola, who plays Margarita, is an author, scriptwriter, and lecturer in singing at Pembroke College, Oxford, of which she is an alumna, having read English. After going up from Oxford, Nicola, who is the mother of two grown-up sons, found herself living in Cardiff and Sheffield before she felt the city’s call to return eight years ago. “I felt the need to put down roots here,” says Nicola, “I felt I had unfinished business and it was about time I set about fulfilling my dreams.

“I’ve always had a fascination with Spain — even when friends used to bring back donkeys as souvenirs from holiday, the country intrigued me. When I discovered Spanish classical songs — which are so hard and so passionate — I felt the inspiration hit.”

Trained in Spanish song and castanet percussion in Seville, Jerez and Madrid and taught by Pam Cook MBE, Nicola decided right from the start that Margarita and the House Of Love should be accessible to English ears. Wanting to channel the spirit of flamenco and interpret the classical folk side, she started seeking out world-class musicians to join the show. Acclaimed accompanist and composer Guy Newbury (Guido) and internationally renowned guitarist Gerald Garcia (Jiraldo) soon joined forces and then Nicola felt the piece needed a real beat —atypical in classical music.

Percussion expert Keith Fairbairn (Bosco) was recommended and agreed to join the band and then violin maestro Olivier Bonnici (Olivier), whom Nicola knew from teaching, brought his plaintive strings to the mix. After realising the show needed a script, Nicola got writing and Oxford School of Music’s Olivier Westlake was the final component as narrator. A year ago, looking for an authentic Spanish seal of approval, Nicola took the show to the house of legendary Spanish mezzo-soprano, Teresa Berganza in Madrid. After giving her warm approval and agreeing to be patron, Nicola set about taking the show on the road at cathedrals, music festivals, and centres of flamenco, in the UK and Spain, now arriving in Oxfordshire with shows in Oxford, Abingdon and Banbury.

“We have had wonderful feedback,” says Nicola, “and one of the most fascinating, rewarding aspects is that people who are not ordinarily interested in classical music have loved it. “We keep things quite raw — for example we assemble for just one rehearsal before we perform.

“The love stories — all kinds of love — seem to chime with people and they are rapt. You could hear a pin drop.

“It comes out of an incredibly dark place and brings a sense of promise. I’m not saying there’s a happy ending, but it offers the hope of more, which is all we can hope for.”

l For more information, visit www.casa-margarita.co.uk