2005 FLAMENCO PA TOS FESTIVAL. RIQUENI. MERCÉ. ISRAEL GALVÁN

3 flamenco experiences 3

Silvia Calado. Madrid, June 22nd, 2005

2005 Flamenco Pa Tos Festival. Rafael Riqueni. José Mercé and Moraíto. Israel Galván, Fernando Terremoto and Alfredo Lagos. Medical Association. Madrid, June 22nd, 2005. 9 p.m.

	Israel Galván (Foto: Daniel Muñoz)

Balance. The third night of flamenco organized by the Gomaespuma Foundation in the sixth edition of its festival ‘pa tos’ (‘for all’) had three equal parts in artistic level, in quality, in the crowd's response. Rafael Riqueni, labeled a “genius” by the hosts, warmed up the ambience with the cajoling music he makes gush forth from his guitar. You don't have to worry about distinguishing between styles, no. You just have to go with the flow of the scores by the Sevillian guitarist, splashes of references to the classic maestros, melancholy, sweetness, grandeur, details of his toque's virtuosity... And enjoy the good shape of an artist life doesn't allow to work continuously. The crowd on its feet.

Second round. José Mercé and Moraíto Chico. The cantaor, accompanied by his faithful squire, offered a one hundred percent flamenco performance consisting of a very Jerez-style repertoire: soleá, seguiriyas, bulerías and fandangos. He came in wearing a pinstriped suit, remarking that he is pleased to attend the festival once more to collaborate for the cause. The fact that he had attended the festival's first edition is a gesture for which the organizers expressed their gratitude at the beginning. Moraíto comes out laying down the law. The great voice, old-style, follows his path. Jerez-style jondo echo. The guitar trembles once more. Manuel Torre in the year 2005. Mercé through seguiriyas. Old-style flourishes for today. All the understanding from cante to toque, from toque to cante. He wanted to say goodbye through bulerías to the Madrid crowd, which he likes for being “serious and sober”, but he wasn't allowed to finish with that little party for two, sung, played and danced. For an encore, fandangos, El Gloria's, enlarged and enriched by one of the top-level voices of today's flamenco.

Following the break, the threesome consisting of Israel Galván, Fernando Terremoto and Alfredo Lagos went into action. ‘The Golden Age’ is an experience. The bailaor, as Gomaespuma pointed out, “has gone two steps beyond heterodoxy and has turned orthodox once again”. It's hard to explain, but when you experience it, it's simple to understand. Accompanied on cante by Terremoto, the spitting image of his father, and by Alfredo Lagos on guitar, at just the right point between the roots and contemporaneousness, Israel Galván's performance leaves flamenco dancing in its essence. Nobody tops him in technique, precision, musicality... nor in the experimental, the personal, the jondo. His soleares, his seguiriyas, his alegrías and his tangos - for he danced all that and then some - are like concentrates of soleares, seguiriyas, alegrías and tangos. They are sometimes reduced to a succinct fragment, to hardly a flash, which always ends up chopped off, without further vertigo or embellishment. And the audience is not only fascinated, but they actually understand it. So much so that the trio really got involved in offering them an encore: a role swap in which Israel sang, Terremoto played the guitar and Alfredo danced. Olé.

Rafael Riqueni (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

José Mercé (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Moraíto (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

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