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‘SEVILLA,
CONCIERTO FLAMENCO A SU MEMORIA’
SEVILLE'S 13th BIENAL DE FLAMENCO 2004
Extremely Sevillian
Silvia Calado. Seville, October 7th, 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
‘Sevilla, concierto flamenco a su
memoria’ (‘Seville, a Flamenco Concert in Its
Memory’). Cante: Chano
Lobato, Juan José Amador, Encarna Anillo. Dancing:
Israel Galván, Pastora Galván. Sevillanas: Salmarina.
Guitars: Alfredo Lagos, Eduardo Rebollar, Manolo Franco. Piano:
Pedro Ricardo Miño. Box drum: Antonio Barrull. Clapping:
Bobote, Eléctrico. Comic: José Luis Ortiz Nuevo.
Workers: Manuel Asencio, Manuel Acosta, Casimiro Sánchez
and Perlo de Triana (painter). Script and artistic director:
José Luis Ortiz Nuevo. Stage directors: Belén
Candil, David Montero. Maestranza Theater. Seville. October
7th, 2004. 9 p.m. Seville's 13th Bienal de Flamenco 2004.
Seville face-to-face with itself. Seville imagined in lyrics,
dancing and melodies. The city of outsiders' dreams, the sweet
consolation for the locals. Moments of praise for the city-muse,
all of them linked up, one after another, in sure fashion.
Like a TV gala on the regional network, with a host-character
and everything. ‘Sevilla, concierto a su memoria’
pressed all the buttons of sweet indulgence, the fair gateway
included (albeit under construction, just like the city is
nowadays). Cantes, songs, verses which are poems crying out
to the Guadalquivir, Triana, La Macarena, Virgins, small squares,
monuments, painters... with the main festival in a close-up.
And all of it in the mouth, guitar and body of a group of
artists not necessarily Sevillian, but ready to take part
in the confirmation performance.
Israel Galván, Chano
Lobato and Pastora Galván |
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The show, one of the four José Luis Ortiz Nuevo has
presented in this Bienal - of which he was the first director-,
aimed to be “a concert of an extraordinary nature of
the kind that can only happen in Seville and at the Bienal”.
And he affirmed so doubly, playing the game of reading his
own statements on stage in the daily newspaper. Next, he gave
way to Israel
Galván (just four nights ago, he premiered his
‘Arena’
on this stage), as abstract as the cante-recitation by Pepe
Marchena which he was given to dance to. Taking over high
up on the platform was cantaora Encarna Anillo, wearing a
mantilla while appearing on the balcony adorned with velvet
and gold. Saeta. Continuing to evoke the week of passion was
guitarist Manolo
Franco, with the version that Rafael Riqueni did of the
march ‘Amargura’ by Manuel Font de Anta. And Seville
has to make up for it. A string of light bulbs. Fair. Ephemeral
city. The sevillanas group Salmarina, all of whom are from
Sanlúcar, selected from their elegant repertoire -
produced and composed by Isidro Muñoz - the songs dedicated
to Seville. The party kept on going, strolling over to the
piano of Pedro
Ricardo Miño (who presented his album ‘Piano
con duende’ at this Bienal on September 26th, coinciding
with the El Lebrijano concert here in the great theater) who,
seconded by the clapping through bulerías of Bobote
and Eléctrico, played ‘Sevilla’ by Albéniz.
From outside inwards. The Seville of grief in the martinete
and the seguiriya sung by Juan
José Amador, with that wailing all his own. But
mythology had to be returned to. Carmen! Pastora
Galván plays her, all hips, all curves. First just
the silhouette. Afterwards, all of her in the middle of the
stage shaking with something that could be called ‘sevillanía’
(Sevillian style) la habanera with music by Bizet on the piano.
The director, scriptwriter, comic... pays her compliments
construction-worker style. And it was time for a sandwich.
The second part starts off with the reading, by the ‘driver’,
of an article in the daily newspaper ‘El Progreso’
on May 24th, 1885 reporting on the performance by the chirigota
(group) Las Viejas Ricas at the Varieties Café. Moving
across time, Chano Lobato recovers the tanguillo, full of
grace, of wisdom, of knowing how to be, act and even seem.
An ovation by the audience. Ortiz Nuevo wheedles a tale out
of him which journeys by bus from Heliópolis... to
Triana. And for the icing on the cake he sings bulerías
for them, even taking a little stroll. Seville at your feet,
maestro. Back to classicism. Manolo Franco plays ‘Sevillana’
by Joaquín Turina on the guitar. And the tangos, which
were starting to be missed. Cante, toque and clapping. The
Galván siblings dance. She, beautiful, sensual, out
of a neighborhood patio. He, unruly, angular, absolutely brilliant.
A recitation of bits of poetry by Gerardo Diego. Juan José
Amador again sings ‘forward’... and it is not
so usual for this specialist to sing for dancing. Triana seguiriyas.
And more sevillanas. Salmarina sing songs by El Pali, he who
was the patriarch of those seguidillas looking out over the
great river. Coming out to dance them are three pairs from
town, some from the street, others from the fair. And joining
them are Pastora and Israel, he dismantling and parodying.
Another moment starring the comic-director, playing blindman's
bluff. When he recovers his sight, the entire group is on
stage with ‘Yo me quedo en Sevilla’ ('I'm staying
in Seville') with lyrics by Carlos Lencero that the group
Pata
Negra sang in their ‘Blues
de la Frontera’. Encarna Anillo varies the song
with her voice, Pedro Ricardo Miño adds ‘flourishes’
to it by Michel Camilo, Chano Lobato dances with Pastora Galván...
And Seville rises to its feet to applaud its own reflection.
Chano Lobato. Rehearsal
revista@flamenco-world.com
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