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Martín Guijarro, October 2005
Pedro
Bacán's memory has been safeguarded
in a valuable document, the film ‘Inés,
hermana mía’ (‘Inés,
Sister of Mine’) by Carole Fierz, much to
the relief of those who have seen his albums vanish
from the market. The French director does an up-close
portrait of the artistic motivations of the Lebrija-born
guitarist, a personal musician bursting with creativity,
highlighting the role he played in his sister
Inés
Bacán becoming a professional cantaora.
View
frame gallery from DVD 'Inés, hermana mía'
And to do so, she turns the camera
into a privileged eyewitness of conversations
between the brother and sister about art and about
life; reflections out loud by both artists; scenes
from everyday life; flamenco gatherings... and
of course, rehearsals and live performances. The
action takes place in the homes and streets of
Lebrija, in cars and buses that give the film
a certain ‘road movie’ flavor, at
stations, riverbanks and stages. There are plenty
of close-ups of the two main stars, so as to scrutinize
their thoughts, with a lot of room for silence.
There is nevertheless more than one collective
scene in flamenco family settings. The party at
La Montañesa Farm with Fernanda
de Utrera and Concha Vargas, among other artists,
is worthy of attention.
The music is the third star.
Guitar and cante provide the climate as well as
the transition between scenes, whether it be atmosphere
in off or live. And that includes lovely moments
such as the rehearsal of the seguiriya or the
scene in a tavern in which Pedro studies old cante
out of the mouth of a veteran cantaor. Old audiovisual
recordings are also inserted from ‘Rito
y geografía del cante’, such
as that of Inés and Pedro's grandmother,
and that of María la Perrata.
View
frame gallery from DVD 'Inés, hermana mía'
For those who still want more
flamenco with the ‘Pinini’ trademark,
besides the film, the DVD contains a full one-hour
concert, recorded in the French city of Châteauroux
in November 1995. The group, led by Pedro Bacán,
consists of Inés Bacán, Pepa de
Benito and José
Valencia on cante; Concha Vargas and Carmen
Ledesma on baile; and Antonio Peña on clapping.
Soleá through bulerías, soleá,
granaína, romance and fiesta through bulerías
make up the repertoire.
At the same time, ‘Inés,
hermana mía’ weaves a social document
about the woman's role in rural Andalusia, and
more specifically, that of a cantaora in the setting
of a demanding family of artists. “I kept
quiet for a long time. I used to see so many artists
in my family. And you had to be funny or sing
very well with my people. I was the silly little
one”. But at the same time, she used to
feel uncontrollable rebelliousness. Pedro Bacán,
a real philosopher, calls it the Pinini spirit,
a spirit of freedom.
The film is doubly touching because
it has now been eight years since Pedro Bacán
passed away. Of course, it is dedicated to his
memory.
More information:
Inés
Bacán. 2003 Mont de Marsan Festival. Review
and photos
Pepa
de Benito, Gaspar de Utrera and El Cuchara, cantaores
(August 2005)
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