<<
Previous
| FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM’S
TOP 10 DVDs |
Although the audiovisual product most
demanded by flamenco enthusiasts are concerts and recitals
on DVD, especially baile, this year only ‘Sabores’
by Sara
Baras was released. And, as was to be expected, it’s
been a huge hit. Another similar product has been ‘Casacueva
y escenario’ by Estrella
Morente, a summary of recordings in different contexts
and qualities by the Granada-born cantaora. But it has
ended up in the middle of the list. Ahead of it are the
audiovisual methods to learn clapping, how to play the
castanets or guitar accompaniment por sevillanas.
Estrella Morente. Frame from
DVD 'Casacueva
y escenario'
Even though methods to learn steps like
‘El baile flamenco’ have gone on being top
hits every month for several years now, a complementary
form of learning is being demanded, which is to visualize
samples of bailes choreographed on a small scale. Taking
top prize there is ‘Baile flamenco. Volumen 3’
with performers such as Pastora
Galván. Learning guitar is also guided by first-rate
performers. From the Encuentro Collection, the star this
season has been ‘La guitarra flamenca de Chicuelo’.
Another product demanded for the study of toque has been
‘Método audiovisual de guitarra flamenca’
by Manuel Granados, whose educational books are now a
classic.
The Noches en Casa Patas Collection appears
once again in the ranking, this time with the DVD ‘Pa
mis adentros’ by Madrilenian bailaora La
Truco. And there are always enthusiasts anxious to
recall flamenco’s glorious past, according to the
sales figures of the fourth pack of the re-released television
series ‘Rito y geografía del cante flamenco’,
with performances by La Piriñaca, Manolo Caracol,
Diego del Gastor... A sure value.
| FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM’S
TOP 10 BOOKS |
Flamenco’s bibliography section
isn’t too long-winded. And even though titles come
out, enthusiasts find it difficult to read. So top prize
goes to products which combine reading with listening,
and above all, those devoted to learning. The list is
headed up, and with quite an advantage, by ‘Enciclopedia
de los Estilos Flamencos. De la A a la Z’ which,
presented in an attractive box set, includes a manual
written by José Manuel Gamboa and Faustino Núñez,
plus a total of twelve discs with an exhaustive selection
of cantes style by style. Also achieving success by combining
reading and music is ‘Luis
de la Pica. El duende taciturno’, a book by
Alfredo Grimaldos about the bohemian Jerez-born cantaor,
with a record included. Along the same lines and very
recently released is ‘Tomás
Pavón. El príncipe de La Alameda’,
a book by Manuel Bohórquez which is accompanied
by a CD with every cante recorded by the historic cantaor.
Excerpt from book 'Luis
de la Pica. El duende taciturno'
The rest of the top posts are occupied
by sheet music books. The bestselling ones in 2007 have
been ‘Alcázar de cristal’ by Rafael
Riqueni and ‘Yerbagüena’ by Pepe
Habichuela. A curiosity which has awoken the interest
of the public are the transcriptions of the folk songs
compiled and recorded by Lorca in the thirties. And guitar
students have also been interested in ‘Desde la
Guitarra. Armonía del flamenco’ by Claude
Worms. Writings on baile theory aren’t usual; perhaps
that is why the ‘vademecum’ of steps by José
Luis Navarro and Eulalia de Pablo entitled ‘Figuras,
pasos y mudanzas’ has reached the ranking.
At the last minute, the list has been
joined by Manolo
Sanlúcar’s autobiography ‘El alma
compartida’, which is sure to go on selling at a
good pace in the months to come. And the thing is that
classic figures always rouse interest, as has been the
case of the book about Niño Ricardo ‘Vida
y obra de Manuel Serrapí Sánchez’.
Even so, the year’s bestseller is a book published
in late 2006; the bilingual manual in Spanish and English
‘Todo sobre flamenco’ by Silvia Calado Olivo.
And the thing is that there are apparently still many
basic questions to answer about this art form...
<<
Previous
