The radio program ‘Nuestro Flamenco’ turns
25 years old
‘Nuestro Flamenco’
turns 25 years old
José María Velázquez-Gaztelu,
October 2009
A radio program isn’t something that
goes with the flow of custom, although its prolongation
in time might seem like a favorable means for everyday life,
automatism or a trap which pushes us to the mechanics of
routine. On the contrary, and because of its very nature,
a radio program is always an adventure and ultimately a
chance for us to plunge into unknown territories where we
are awaited by uncertainty, the sudden and, on many occasions,
not only confusion but also the blow of sharp emotion which
leaves us speechless, something which a communicator neither
should nor can afford in any case.
Mercé, Velázquez-Gaztelu,
Carmen Linares, Enrique de Melchor and Miguel Espín.
'Nuestro Flamenco' 25th anniversary (Photo Daniel
Muñoz) |
For example, Rafael
Riqueni called me up one day to request his presence
in ‘Nuestro Flamenco’. As is natural, I didn’t
hesitate to accept his proposal and we set a day and a time
to send him a car. Then at the studio and in front of the
microphone, suddenly, and without me asking him anything
about it, the extraordinary Sevillian guitarist and composer,
making use of devastating frankness which did not conceal
his fragility as an exquisite artist with huge creative
potential, made public - that is why I allow myself to tell
it now - his terrible descent to hell, some dramatic circumstances
which were depleting, or rather, hindering the fluent development
of his work. The words, with the stark sincerity of he who
is baring his soul to the world and without the slightest
concealment of the most flagrant details, came gushing out,
while my ability to react was becoming weaker, thus hindering
the initiative to intervene. The intensity of the moment,
which did not hide the greater and greater paleness of the
sound technician on the other side of the glass, was about
to mess up the recording, but I recovered my spirit and
began to take the reins until I managed to get the smile
-gloomy, now then - of a magnificent musician, sacrificed
before the brutal blows of a life I considered unjust.
Carmen Linares and José Mercé.
'Nuestro Flamenco' 25th anniversary
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
|
‘Nuestro Flamenco’, the program
I write, direct and present for Radio Clásica, Radio
Nacional de España, is turning 25 years old. As you
can imagine, it is a unique, enormously enriching experience,
with moments that have remained in my memory forever. Having
appeared at the studios on the third floor of La Casa de
la Radio, in Prado del Rey, are cantaoras and cantaores,
guitarists, bailaores and bailaoras, writers, researchers,
program organizers of large and small series, festival directors,
all of them belonging to different generations. 25 years
is a long time, and at this exciting juncture I want to
express my most sincere gratitude to all who have taken
part, with their words or their music; to the media and
friends who support me at all times; to long-time listeners
and new ones, to those who, thanks to the new systems of
communication, follow us from anywhere in the world; to
the technicians and directors who have followed one another
over these two decades and a half and who have laid stakes
on flamenco on such a prestigious radio station.
Enrique de Melchor. 'Nuestro Flamenco' 25th
anniversary
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
|
In my memory, Juan Varea’s endless
silence before an apparently insignificant question; Valderrama’s
verbal incontinence; Fernando Quiñones’s exultant
enthusiasm, seasoning his juicy words with excerpts of cante;
Chaquetón’s masterful well-roundedness; Rafael
Romero’s imagination and presence; Miguel Vargas’s
dignity; the restrained wit of that slight man with enormous
art who was El Chato de la Isla; Manuel
Soto Sordera’s elegance and chivalry; Mario Maya’s
passion and the thoroughness in presentation of Antonio
Gades; Luis Rosales’s reflective, unhurried and slightly
melancholy way of speaking; Fernando Montoro’s generosity…
They and many more were the heroes of this adventure, but
they’ve already left us. Now ‘Nuestro Flamenco’
continues to witness and broadcast that fascinating, diverse,
musical macrocosm, which is expressed in such different
orders. The door is still open. Lady and gentleman artists,
you first. As I always say, someone is listening to us on
the other side of the night. Thank you and a happy anniversary
to all.
José María Velázquez-Gaztelu,
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
José María Velázquez-Gaztelu
and Miguel Espín (Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
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