SPECIAL FEATURE. MORENTE FRENCHIFIED, BY BALBINO GUTIÉRREZ
Enrique Morente, Frenchified
Balbino Gutiérrez/ Flamenco-world.com, May 31st, 2011
Translation: Joseph Kopec
Enrique Morente,
Festival Flamenco de Nîmes 2007
(Photo Daniel
Muñoz) |
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Following the mandatory days of mourning during which it was impossible and indecent for me to publicly express my memories of and feelings for my friend and maestro Enrique Morente, I am breaking my silence in order to recall that today, December 17th, he was going to be awarded the insignias of Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur at the French Embassy in Madrid. The news of such an important distinction was communicated to me by the maestro during a telephone conversation -unfortunately, the last time I was able to talk to him - and he sounded especially happy to be given the award. I asked him why he was so satisfied when on other occasions with important prizes he had seemed more restrained, and he answered the following with his proverbial irony: “It must be because I’ve always been quite Frenchified”.
The reality is that, besides his love of the culture, art and language of France - he liked to pronounce and use some usual phrases, he adored Renoir’s painting among that of other Impressionist maestros, as well as the requiem by Gabriel Fauré -, a substantial part of Morente’s career took place in France. His recitals at the Olympia, the Théâtre de la Villette and that of Chaillot, in Paris. His tours of cities like Lyon, Toulouse, Nîmes, Marseilles, Bordeaux... In France he recorded one of his most orthodox albums, “Essences flamencas”, with the label Auvidis, and he also premiered his magnificent “Misa Flamenca” at the abbey in Fontfroide, Normandy, and later at Saint Dénis Basilica. With a soleá por bulerías beat and the air of a waltz, and in French, Morente sang a song by Georges Brassens, Le petit joueur de flûteau, on a disc for a charity association, recorded in Granada, which had the participation of a choir of French-Spanish boys and girls, including his daughter Estrella.
Aurora Carbonell receives the Enrique Morente's insignia of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French ambassador Bruno Delaye (Photo French Embassy)
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Aurora Carbonell, Morente's widow, with their sons Soleá and Enrique, pose with the insignia (Photo French Embassy) |
The late great cantaor’s last demonstration of affection for French enthusiasts occurred on April 16th of this very year at the “Banlieues Bleues” Festival in the south of Paris - which had the courage to include in its 1997 program a concert with “Omega”-. The ashes of the Icelandic volcano with an unpronounceable name hindered Morente’s usual musicians from getting to Paris, but not the Granada-born maestro, who traveled there by car and performed his concert solo with two Spanish guitarists residing in the French capital.
Morente, who was a genuine knightly gentleman, as many of us who dealt with him believe, was excited about being named Knight of the Legion of Honor and he intended to utter some words in French in order to express his gratitude for the award. Treacherous fate didn’t allow him to do so.
Postscript: Yesterday, May 31st, 2011, “Monsieur Enrique Morente” was awarded as a posthumous title the insignia of Knight of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic. Following the warm, formal words of the French ambassador, Mr. Bruno Delaye, Enrique Morente’s widow, Aurora Carbonell, intervened. Her attitude and her words were brief but full of dignity and nobility. She emphasized the fact that this high honor would have been awarded to the maestro while he was still alive and proudly affirmed that it had been a privilege to be able to share her life with a person like him… And those attending were deeply moved.
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