2011 Caja Madrid Flamenco Festival presents a bill which is “complete, varied and different from the previous ones”

The nineteenth edition, in memory of Morente, gathers recitals like ‘Oasis abierto’ by Carmen Linares, ‘Luz de guía’ by Tomatito and ‘Maestros’ by Valderrama

S.C./ Flamenco-world.com. Madrid, January 19th, 2011

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Manuela Carrasco, Carmen Linares,omatito and Valderrama are the four flamenco artists who illustrated with their presence and their words the official presentation of the 2011 Caja Madrid Festival, which is to be held at the Teatro Circo Price from February 8th to 12th. The lineup of the festival, which its director called “complete, varied and different from the previous ones”, also includes performances by Miguel Poveda - who has already sold out -, Luis de Córdoba and Marina Heredia. The previous week at La Casa Encendida, there will be a series of round-tables and, moreover, recitals by young flamenco talents. And to be present in all of it is the memory of Enrique Morente, a cantaor very linked to this festival who coined the phrase “there’s no city with more flamenco art than Madrid”.

Tomatito, Joaquín Amador, Manuela Carrasco, Carmen Linares and Juan Valderrama (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

Manuela Carrasco, winner of the 2011 Calle de Alcalá Award, will offer ‘Suspiro flamenco’, “a very meticulous show in which the important thing is dancing and demonstrating what art is”. At the event in Madrid, Carmen Linares will carry out the second performance of her new show ‘Oasis abierto’, recently premiered in Alicante. The show, directed by Emilio Hernández, is a tribute from flamenco to poet Miguel Hernández “with a lot of color and a very vitalistic viewpoint”. Hence the presence of Tomasito as guest artist who, according to the cantaora, “reflects youth with some verses he raps por bulerías”.

Almería-born guitarist Tomatito calls his concert ‘Luz de guía’ in which “with my group, we’re going to play flamenco”. And in ‘Maestros’, Valderrama will honor Juan Valderrama, Pepe Marchena, Pepe Pinto and Ramón Porrina, and cantes “not really in fashion like the farruca, round-trip cantes, certain taranta airs…”. And the thing is that, in his opinion, they’re “cantaores that I don’t think history has been kind to; tenderness and sweetness prevail in them, they’re white sounds complementary to the black ones”. And Tomatito praised him for his initiative and elaborated on it: “The vindication is of the cantes, not the cantaores, since they’re top artists. And they’re really nice cantes which are in the base of flamenco… Cantes are black and white; there’s the balance in flamenco”.