DUTCH FLAMENCO BIENNIAL
2008
ISABEL BAYÓN • EL PELE • NIÑO
JOSELE…
“I don’t believe in
magic”
Silvia Calado. Amsterdam, October 31st and November
1st, 2008
Something is confirmed as the days go
by in the Netherlands. That flamenco is a type of music
whose warmth can’t be altered by low temperatures.
A clear example: ‘La puerta abierta’ by Isabel
Bayón. It was at the Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn
on Saturday, November 1st. It turns out to be a pre-fabricated
auditorium with great seating capacity, next to the highway,
which is substituting for the main theater in Utrecht
while it is being reformed. And at first sight, it seemed
impossible that on such a huge stage and with the temperature
dropping little by little in the seats, that the Sevillian
bailaora and her people could manage to capture the excitement
of those attending. But the unlikely occurred.
Photo
gallery, by Daniel Muñoz
Isabel Bayón, 'La Puerta abierta' at Utrecht
Click
the image to enlarge
The show, a simple, polished little jewel
of many carats, touched the audience the same as at theaters
in the south of Spain such as the Central in Seville and
the Villamarta in Jerez. And the surprising thing is that
it does so without changing a bit of the game of subtleties
which gives it form and substance. Exquisite baile, exquisite
music, the exquisite way of displaying feelings. The delightful
guitar of Jesús Torres, the measured-out percussion
of Antonio Coronel, just the right clapping by Carlos
Grilo and El Lúa. And her baile … The intimacy
of such a concise group is shared the same way as grief
or joy is shared. And everything’s essential. There’s
not a single step or a single note too many. Nor quejío.
El
Pele felt the pulse of the show’s tone, providing
- with regards to when Miguel Poveda plays that role -
special tension, extra energy and expectation.
El Pele sang
And the thing is that he sang really
ripping loose, doing so with the same devotion as on the
previous night at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam. The Córdoba-born
cantaor jam-packed the venue, a place specialized in jazz
hanging from the façade of the Muziekgebouw. He
put the audience at his feet with that cante of his which
is as personal as it is classic, as extroverted as it
is from within. He came in singing to Lorca and to Caracol,
devoted himself entirely in the seguiriya then with Antonio
Luque on guitar, delighted the crowd with the string of
fandangos abandolaos, dedicated some cantes mineros to
his colleagues mentioned here … And then he made
an enlightening revelation: “I don’t believe
in magic; I believe in a state of mind, in communication.
Without the warmth of the audience, there’s no magic
and no nothing”. There were tons of warmth there.
And he was swept off the ground by the olés, the
applause (and the clapping by Grilo and Lúa) in
the soleá apolá, in the alegrías,
and of course, in the final bulerías. To end things,
a wish: “May you have a lot of children so that
flamenco fans don’t die out!”.
Click
the image to enlarge |
|
El Pele
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
