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Thursday,
September 14th
IMPLAUSIBLE
INVENTORY
Rancapino
finished off a night that began with the premiere—in another theater—of a flamenco
adaptation of the great Basque storyteller Bernardo Atxaga.
Lope
de Vega Theater:
"Inventario de Henry Bengoa."
Arcángel
Inventory
of important figures: Isabel Bayón (dance), Ortíz Nuevo (books),
Arcángel (singing), as well as music by Paco Arriaga, and an adaptation
of Bernardo Atxaga by the multi-disciplinary Pedro G. Romero (without mentioning
Rafael Riqueni’s absence due to problems). Good ingredients for a complicated
stew of hard meat, despite the constant bluesy aroma of mint from the five horns
of "La Banda de la María." They offered excellent footnotes to
the sublime seguiriya por bulería that Isabel Bayón danced,
between the guitars of her husband Jesús Torres and Paco Arriaga, and the
percussion of El Pájaro. Isabelita’s tiny body swells and sways, touched
by the ángel that crowns her graceful shoulders. (Following her
angular dance, however, things became far more sinister than expected). Another
great moment: Arcángel and Paco Arriaga in a soleá that began
and ended with the sweetness of Triana.
Arcángel
There
was more to be seen and heard, in a scene with video images taking place on two
levels with two trios of actors, two of them singing "mu malamente."
‘Henry Bengoa, Inventarium’ is a long story that had already been read onstage
by Atxaga himself, including musicians John Martyn and Robert Wyatt, more appropriate
for this story that includes other stories, like the short but dazzling ‘El
criado del rico mercader.’ Hard to hold together. José Luis Ortiz Nuevo,
creator of the Bienal and its director until the ninth edition, had planned
an immense seguiriya with this work about absence and death, difficult
to fit into this daily marathon. As brilliant as a flamenco production may be,
it’s hard to surmount three hours’ worth of dense text and slow moments crammed
between lines of flamenco verse.
Isabel Bayón
Alameda
Theater:
Melchora Ortega and Rancapino.
 
 
Rancapino
Rancapino’s
encore, ‘Carcelero,’ was the last thing to be heard during this long evening in
another theater of the city. It began shortly after the end of ‘Inventario,’
with the great singer Melchora Ortega, winner of the contest for young singers
in the last Bienal, in a review of Jerez impulses, from alegrías
to her barefoot bulerías. On the guitar, the well-organized and
supportive Fernando Romero, who prudently escorted the lone voice of Rancapino,
who does what suits him best: He begins a taranto, practically breathlessly,
then another, then suddenly his genius appears in the more melodious levantica.
All of this in five minutes. Or his delivery of alegrías, a
full and rozado bit of cante from Mr. Ranqui. Malagueñas,
soleares, fandangos, and those bulerías of La Perla and Manolito
el de María for the finale. Another of the great moments of this Bienal.
For the encore he "remembered" Caracol, standing with the microphone
in hand, black suit and tie, the best crooner from Chiclana, por zambra.
Luis
Clemente
Translated
by Norman Paul Kliman
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