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Wednesday, August 16th.
XV Festival de Cante de Las Minas. La Union.
Youth and Lamparas Mineras
("mining lamps"- giving name to one of the categories in the contest)
Salvador Salas
The Contest of the Minas de La Union began without surprises
The first thing that was heard in the mellow night was a "levantina". It was
played by Francisco Javier Jimeno, the young and efficient official guitar player
of a contest which has come to its 40th edition with 22 participants
in search of the 16 prizes awarded after having passed the previous trials all
around Spain which had included 80 "cantaores" (flamenco singers), 25 guitar players
and eight "bailaores" (flamenco dancers), with a surprising average age which
is under the age of 24.
Gabriel Expósito
"La Union, to sing "por Levante", from Cartagena to La Union", was
what Manuel Calderon, from Barcelona began saying as he appeared like a hurricane
- with the experience he has even at the age of 20 years old - competing for the
Lampara Minera, the main prize of the festival awarded for the best "cante por
mineras".
From Alicante and with a Camaron-style came Francisco Navarro with a "taranto",
a "cartagenera" and the always risky "taranta de la Gabriela". In the category
of "malagueñas", we had the presence of Manuel Grande from Cordoba, who
was the only one in the whole session who did not perform "cantes mineros" and
who showed his best side of young "cantaor" of the contest when singing the "serrana"
(a song about a woman) with her "macho".
Sebastian Contreras and Salvador Salas, both coming from Murcia, were the two
last "cantaores" and the two oldest of this first session. The first of the two
allowed us to listen to the most profound and professional singer of the night
"por martinetes", before performing a brief "taranto"; the second closed the night
with a "granaina" and "media granaina" with a Marchena touch to it.
Of the guitar players, we can say that it was as though all three contesting
in this first session had agreed to play "tarantos" and "alegrias". Antonio Reyes,
from Madrid, showed both great energy and delicacy; Francisco Jose Lopez Velez,
from Malaga, played without almost any errors and following the path set by Paco
with a firm pulse, while the one with the greatest dexterity was, without a doubt,
the twenty-year-old Gabriel Exposito, from Cordoba.
Only one participant in the dance category per day, and in this first session
it was the turn of Alfonso Losa, who came from Madrid with a rigid set of "taranto-tangos"
and "solea" with a funny incident as the heel of his dance shoe broke. An initial
session with barely any surprises in a flamenco that no longer wants to hide in
the pannier of the oil lamps (which give name to the contest).
Luis Clemente
Translation: Pekka Odriozola
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