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An attack of sanity
Silvia Calado Olivo. Madrid, April 5th, 2002
Carmen Linares: cante. Gerardo Núñez: guitar.
Pablo Martín: bass. Ángel Sánchez, Cepillo: percussion. José
Manuel León: guitar. Agustín Henke: percussion. Ana María
González and Federico Baeza: palmas. Javier Barón (guest artist):
dance. Teatro Real. Madrid, April 5th, 2002, 8:00 p.m.
An opening to close. The series 'Emociona!!! MUJER' chose to close out with the
prologue of 'Un ramito de locura' [bouquet of madness], Carmen Linares' much-anticipated
new recording. It was presented by an off-stage voice as a record of presences,
the fundamental one of the Gerardo Núñez trio, but above all, as
a "memorial of absence": of a father, of the poet Jorge Luis Borges,
of the soleá singer from Madrid Manolito Heras, of Vainica Doble, of another
poet, José Ángel Valente...
The sheer expanse of the Teatro Real received her with applause. She appears
in white, jacket and skirt with a discreet cape, small brown shawl. Acknowledging
the regal setting, she remains standing. A bass solo: Pablo Martín. And
Carmen starts singing "resignation" tonás. Her voice warmed,
still treading carefully. Cepillo joins in and gives form with the cajón
and djembé. Carmen has now expanded and demonstrated the greater part of
her range of shading. The sound weakens and extinguishes into silence...
Gerardo Núñez appears on stage for the soleá 'Pocito de
nieve'. Bass and Hindu tablas. An uncontainable display of harmony envelopes the
brutal lament of the cantaora from Jaén who fans out and pulls back in.
The guitar dances upon the weightiness of the bass...up, down, and around. Free
variations. A cante of 'ida y vuelta': 'Milonga del forastero'. Borges. A second
guitar backs up the trío. Carmen recites and shows off her virtuosity with
cuts and changes. Gerardo turns from sweetness to earthiness, to content and solemnity,
and returns to sweetness. Bowed bass. Carmen is clenching her fists...straight
into the closing: "Que yo me voy contigo-o-o, donde tú me quieras
llevar".
Carmen Linares (Photo: Anahí Cármody)
The complete group is on stage. Choruses and two 'palmeros'. The guitar leads
the way, followed by the Indian tabla, djembé, cajón and palmas.
A bulerías song: 'Quiero tu nombre olvidar'. Another Carmen, she who whispers,
preceeds the Carmen who fearlessly picks up the mood. The cajones are conspicuously
subtle. All the percussion is tasteful. Carmen is really singing her heart out...no
limits. And Gerardo sounding of blues and lightness. The whole group, including
Cepilla, sings along for the chorus of romeras. 'Palma y corona'. The group exudes
a feeling of freshness and togetherness. Javier Barón is invited to dance.
And he accepts, bolstered by a traditional-sounding, measured chorus. Offering
novelties such as the 'remate de brazos!' Carmen is up there, Gerardo mostly plays
the part of listener-answerer. Jaleo por bulerías.
Carmen and Gerardo remain alone on stage. Seguiriya. The guitarist travels
through his world, forehead dripping; the voice in its own world. She mold the
melodies sweetly and with pause. Silences. Sensitivity. Tension and expressiveness
are sent out to the audience when she changes to cabales. A final seismic lament.
A miner's glowing coals among the ashes outlines a melody. 'Agua fina por salobre',
tarantas. The guitar is high-flying and strong... A shout from the audience: "¡Carmen,
eres sabia, maestra!" ['Carmen, you are the wise maestra!'] And Gerardo changes
to another guitar to let his echo resonate with fandangos. The cante sets hairs
on end searching for carnations and stars. And yes, she is the wise maestra.
One, two, three and... "canta con la voz del corazón, canta mu'
lento" ['sing with the heart's voice, slow and paused']. The whole group
for tangos. Pablo Martín pizzicato, gives form to the group. And voilà:
the bouquet of madness, 'ramito de locura'. Gerardo has the whole tree. Complicity
and playfulness are the order of the day...silences, changes. And the voice is
strong and sober, rough, warm... The guitar now looks to Jerez to take the group
into bulerías: 'Labios de hielo'. Carmen, brutal, emotive...and so it goes
until the seguiriya built upon Valente's 'In pace'. The epitome of expressiveness.
The regal temple of music acknowledges Carmen Linares' flamenco applauding
to the rhythm of bulerias. They asked for a first encore in which the trio made
due with a theme from its repertoire. And they asked for a second encore in which
the group offered an unnecessary bulerias finales. In particular: a few minutes
of glory for Ana María González who sang a bulerias song, overly
brave and without amplification; and the singer's bulerías dance, after
remembering Antonia Pozo and picking up Javier Barón along the way. In
their wake a multifaceted demonstration: that flamenco can be enriched from within,
that respect for tradition must and can be the antithesis of mimicry, that being
flamenco does not exempt anyone from the obligation of knowing other artistic
dimensions, that the music is above all else... and that none of this requires
losing one's head.
Take note: all praise regarding the concert goes equally for the artists
and the sound technicians. Juan Miguel Cobos at the head.
revista@flamenco-world.com
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