The Granada-born cantaor premieres the show 'Minerico' at the festival in Murcia

S.C.O., April 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

"We had a pending matter with Enrique Morente". And in the forty-fourth edition, La Unión's Las Minas Cante Festival is ready to settle it. The event in Murcia pays tribute this year to the Granada-born cantaor who, as a sign of gratitude, will offer the absolute premiere of the show 'Minerico'. The festival, which is to be held from August 4th to 14th, 2004, has shaped up a bill of top figures in which the spotlight will be shared by Vicente Amigo, Carmen Linares, Lebrijano, Sara Baras, Farruquito, Aurora Vargas and El Cabrero, among other artists.

With Juanito Valderrama in its memory, La Unión's Las Minas Cante Festival shapes up the bill for its next edition. This year the festival in Murcia centers its attention on Enrique Morente with a two-fold tribute: on the one hand, related activities such as the lectures that will be given by specialists José Luis Ortiz Nuevo, Miguel Mora and Gerard Steingres; and on the other hand, the premiere - on Tuesday, August 10th, 2004 - of a show about the cantes mineros (mining cantes), conceived by the tribute recipient and called 'Minerico'. At the festival's presentation ceremony which took place in Madrid on April 22nd, the Granada-born cantaor said "I've prepared, I'm preparing or I'll prepare a concert that is about the world of the taranta, the minera, the rondeña... with a classic repertoire inspired in and dedicated to the mines, in order to thank and encourage the people who do this festival every year".

He also pointed out that "the taranta is a broad, jondo sound related to the anguish of the mine, which comes out of the mine's mouth and is related to the work. It is the laborers' world which has kept alive the liking for cante in the taverns, in the neighborhoods, which has caused flamenco to become an art". And with a sense of humor, he added that the "festival begins with the most modern, plural sound preserved by flamenco; that's why it has such an open mind, that's why they've made the mistake of dedicating it to Enrique Morente".

But he won't be alone. It was the cantaor himself who called the artists "extraordinary" that will come together this year on the bill of the forty-fourth edition of the festival in the Murcia town of La Unión. Following the 'Troubadour Evening', the inaugural announcement by Cádiz-born poet Felipe Benítez Reyes and the performance by the winners of last year's contest, there will be five galas at the Old Market which, as the festival's vice president, María Martínez, explained, "combine youth and the most deep-rooted tradition". The first one, which will take place on Friday, August 6th, combines Pansequito and Aurora Vargas' cante with Farruquito's baile. The second night puts together Rafael de Carmen's baile and Vicente Amigo's toque. The cantaores Capullo de Jerez, Carmen Linares, Lebrijano and El Cabrero; and bailaor El Güito come face to face in the third gala on Sunday, August 8th. The next day, cantaor Julián Estrada and Sara Baras will share the stage. And the fifth gala will be cornered by Morente's 'Minerico'.

Contest

From August 11th to 14th, twenty new flamenco talents will bid for the prizes 'Lámpara Minera' ('Mining Lamp'), 'Bordón Minero' ('Mining String') and 'Desplante' ('Stance'), in "four days of competition which are the soul of the festival", according to Martínez. Over one hundred contestants have competed in the try-outs in this edition, which are held until July in different locations all over Spain. This prize, flaunted by artists such as Miguel Poveda, has become an "endorsement" for artists seeking to professionalize their devotion to flamenco. At the same time as the performances and the contest, the flamenco guitar and dancing courses organized by the Cristina Heeren Foundation will take place. On this occasion the faculty of instructors consists of guitarists Carlos Piñana and Eduardo Rebollar; and bailaores Rafael Campallo, Milagros Mengíbar and Carmen Ledesma, among others.

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