Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla 2006. Fernando Terremoto, 'Calendario'. Review, photos and online video

‘Calendario’. Fernando Terremoto: cante. Alfredo Lagos: musical coordination and guitar. Antonio Higuero: guitar. Luis Amador: box drum and drums. Miguel Vargas: contrabass. Rafael Fernández: viola. Manuel Salado: clapping. Encarni Benítez, Mibe Vargas: choruses and clapping. Special collaboration in the grand finale: Luisa de Terremoto, María Márquez, La Yoya, La Currita. Guest artist: Moraíto Chico. Seville’s 14th Bienal de Flamenco 2006. Teatro Lope de Vega. Seville, October 2nd, 2006. 9 p.m.

When Fernando Terremoto announced a change in his career as an artist, mentioning in his statements the names of Israel Galván and Pedro G. Romero, many people surely threw their hands to their heads, giving up for lost one of the few bastions of orthodox cante. May those sensing an ill omen relax; that’s not what it’s all about. The turn which the Jerez-born cantaor wants to start to give to his shows lies solely in the musical, which is no small thing. And that’s what he demonstrated in the premiere of the show ‘Calendario’. With a simple concert format, the cantaor reviewed a long list of styles, facing up to the guitars of Alfredo Lagos and Antonio Higuero, finding inspiration in the additional seasoning by instruments such as the contrabass, the viola and the drums, plus the choruses in some songs, and enjoying his guests to the max. He afforded himself no less than the luxury of bringing in Moraíto just to accompany him in the tientos and he surrounded himself with a witty quartet of women from his hometown, among them his sister Luisa, to provide the ambience for the grand finale. Compared to his previous participation at Seville’s Bienal de Flamenco – with just guitar at the Alcázar two editions ago -, the change is obvious.

He didn’t give up either the malagueña or the seguiriya, but they weren’t the same old malagueña and seguiriya. Welcomed by applause from the crowd, he opened with the bulería por soleá. A guitarist to either side. To the right, Antonio Higuero. One of them, classical. To the left, Alfredo Lagos. The other, imaginative. The other instruments joined the gathering to cook up a version of ‘Canastera’ de Camarón de la Isla, a piece which the cantaor admits to be strongly attached to. Nowadays Terremoto’s voice isn’t up to his name (which means ‘earthquake’), but he fights to elegantly uphold the piece which in its day aimed at being a new style. He went into seguiriyeros territory, but via the serrana, a cante which had only been heard of late from maestro Chocolate. This style’s rhythm and its peculiar tonality start to make the cantaor soar, who so far had reserved himself, staying in the lower tones, now breaking out and letting his rich vocal nuances surface. Even so, the expressiveness with which he utters the cante amply makes up for the fatigue of his instrument, which gets a breather thanks to the solo por tangos and tanguillos by Antonio Higuero.

When Fernando Terremoto comes back out on stage, he does so with all the consequences. “Come on, you’re number one!”, they cheer him on. “Oh, what a tight spot”, he responds. And he sits down, brandishing his guitar to play for himself and sing a song of his por soleá. A song which speaks of memories, of the past, of the calendar lending its name to the title of this show with a memory. The piece turns out touching, as much so as the audience’s ovation. He continues with the malagueña, which isn’t the same old one, which has more string instruments than that of the guitar, though what a swell guitar it is to provide this so ‘terremoto’ style with a different air. The ending is extremely delicate with his voice doubled up by the viola. The seguiriya is also different, which he combines with soleá. Or rather, the seguiriya flanks the cante por soleá, as a prologue and epilogue, demonstrating the familiarity of both styles, and not only in dramatic feeling. Alfredo Lagos manages to conjure up magic in his solo, with passages which have been heard from him together with Israel Galván. Evocative, rhythmic, jondo, virtuoso and natural... Guitarists like the Jerez-born artist are the ones feeding the instrumental evolution of flamenco. There are other guitarists who are fundamental ‘per se’. And that’s the case of Moraíto Chico, who bursts in with his stout sound to accompany the cantaor por tientos. And the cantaor has to sing with his hand over his heart, oxygenated, revived, inspired by unusual melodies. By this point in the performance, Terremoto de Jerez’s son is going all out, taking his voice to the limit. And he does so at the front of the stage por tonás, invoking his ancestors, the picture of his father, the coarse realism of cante jondo, gloriously finishing off with all the strength fitting into his clenched fists. Relief comes to him in the form of a tango with loutish lyrics authored by Enrique Santos in 1934. And it says nothing less than this: “The world sucks and always will, I know... (In five hundred six and in two thousand, too)”. And Fernando sings it por bulerías with his robust voice in 2006, the world being just like it was half a millennium earlier. Calendar matters. But may the party not falter, may the old women come from the courtyard to dance por bulerías, may physics not prevail... “and long live Jerez in Seville!”.

And tomorrow...

Joaquín Grilo
(Foto: Daniel Muñoz)

Joaquín Grilo, ‘A solas’. Teatro Central, 9 p.m. Following its premiere at the 2006 Jerez Festival, the Jerez-born bailaor presents his latest show ‘A solas’ at Seville’s 2006 Bienal. The show, based on the novel ‘El guardián de la luz’ (‘The Guardian of the Light’), tackles the subject of “solitude, with flamenco as a common thread, which is my style”. The artist explained that the show has been, “modified, fortunately” with regards to the version which was seen at the premiere and has a new piece for the piano of Fidel Cordero, who replaces Diego Amador. Up on stage, Joaquín Grilo enjoys the participation of dancer Esther Jurado, member of the Spanish National Ballet, cantaor José Valencia, guitarist Daniel Méndez, contrabassist Pablo Martín and violinist Alexis Lefevre.

Further information
- Festival de Jerez 2006. Joaquín Grilo, ‘A solas’. Review, photos, online video

Online store
- CD: Pablo Martín. Doméstica

‘El flamenco en cuatro estaciones’ (shows for schoolchildren from October 3rd to 7th at the Teatro Alameda). The company El Flamenco Vive, led by Italian Silvia Marín, offers a flamenco workshop for children in morning sessions already arranged with schools in the city. In total, 3,200 Sevillian schoolchildren are going to enjoy this interactive, educational show