JOSÉ MENESE. ‘A MIS SOLEDADES VOY’.
SEVILLE'S BIENAL DE FLAMENCO 2004

Orchestras, poems and flamenco

Silvia Calado. Seville, September 13th, 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

‘A mis soledades voy’ (‘I'm Going to My Solitude’). José Menese: cante. Enrique de Melchor: guitar. Laura Vital: cante. Eduardo Rebollar: guitar. Carmen Ledesma: dancing. Gregorio and Chícharo: clapping. Chamber Orchestra, conductor: Joan Albert Amargós. Maestranza Theater. Seville, September 13th, 2004.
9 p.m. Seville's 13th Bienal de Flamenco 2004.

This is the Bienal of orchestras. First it was Tomatito, next Miguel Poveda and tonight, José Menese. The cantaor from Puebla de Cazalla presented at this setting a show which premiered several years ago at Madrid's Royal Theater, then with Ginesa Ortega as the female voice. ‘A mis soledades voy, de mis soledades vengo’ (‘I'm going to my solitude, I'm coming from my solitude‘) is, in theory, a tribute to the Spanish poets of the Golden Age; that is, a selection of poems by authors so detached from flamenco until now such as Luis de Góngora, Santa Teresa de Jesús, Quevedo and Lope de Vega adapted to the molds of cante. Perhaps wishing to strengthen the cultured tone of the experiment, a chamber orchestra is resorted to, conducted by Joan Albert Amargós, who in this work appears succinct and little imaginative compared to other works of his such as ‘Sonanta Suite’.

'A mis soledades voy'. Rehearsal

The show turns out to be heavily calculated and cold. It misses the warmth of flamenco, for the benefit of discipline and faithfulness to the script. With the entire group together in a cluster, as it will stay until the end, the wide, deep voice of José Menese bursts into the theater. He starts off with a toná made from the poem ‘Amarrado al duro banco’ by Góngora. The orchestra confines itself to acting as a buffer for it, with its strings vibrating restlessly. Next taking the floor is young cantaora Laura Vital, awarded some editions ago in the contest of this same festival. She puts through tangos ‘Aquesta divina unión’ by Santa Teresa de Jesús, who surely not even in her greatest moments of ecstasy thought of such a festive sound. And it is not to think badly, but it would seem that the contents of the poems have been overlooked. Everything is so frivolous... Nearly laughable is the happy chorus accompanied by lively clapping which takes the verse “que muero porque no muero” (“I die because I don't die“).

This is the structure the show is going to follow: Menese and Vital alternate, sharing out the repertoire equally, without the cantaor decisively taking the lead. The orchestra sometimes provides some finishing touch, lends some support, and the rest only has the guitar accompaniment. ‘A mis soledades’ by Lope de Vega becomes a soleá which the cantaor displays with the full weight of his voice and tradition. The cantaora says ‘Blanca quería yo ser’ through bulerías, with poems by Lope de Vega and Guillén de Castro. It is once again Menese's turn, who sings the rondeña ‘En Cártama me he criado’ by Lope de Vega. Enrique de Melchor's guitar accompanies orthodox, the orchestra sounds flamenco prolonging the six strings. Laura Vital, whose voice is maturing, changed styles with alegrías danced by Carmen Ledesma, an artist who makes use of limited resources. The music from the orchestra and the sonanta turns bright and happy for the guajira ‘Aquí la envidia y mentira’, a mixture of verses by Fray Luis de León and Lope de Vega, which the cantaor has to read from the ‘cheat sheet’ on the music stand.

José Menese and Joan Albert Amargós

Alone with Eduardo Rebollar's guitar, the cantaora tactfully performs the soleá ‘Si no me dejan hablar’, with text by Calderón de la Barca. Menese picks up some verses by the same author which he turns into peteneras, that cante which he has made his personal trademark. Violins, viola, cello, contrabass, flute, oboe and horn get romantic, giving atmosphere to the sensitive lullaby by Laura Vital ‘Ay, niño de mis ojos’, also a potpourri from several poets.

At this point, Menese can stand it no longer (he always converses with the audience) and calls for applause for maestro Amargós “because he's a true flamenco”. Next, he sings the liviana ‘Con mi albarda y mi burro’ by Ruiz de Alarcón. The cantaora comes back with verses by Tirso de Molina turned into sevillanas, the four of them fitting into the forms of ‘Mi novio es cartujano’ and orchestrated beginning with the third. The concert reaches its end. José Menese puts on the finishing touch with the tientos tangos ‘Siempre escogen las mujeres’, a cross of verses by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Miguel de Cervantes. The climb of the chorus marks the finish and sparks the ovation of the crowd, who fill three quarters of the theater. The encore is seen to with a repetition of the unfortunate tangos by Santa Teresa. And it is one thing to use literature (not by García Lorca, ugh) in order not to always sing the same thing, since there is little creativity in the lyrics business, and another to sing whatever... however, moreover trying to appropriate an entirely irrelevant cultured halo.

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