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Text: Eugenio Cuew
Photos: Rafael Manjavacas
Saturday May 27th was the last day of the thirteenth
edition of the Festival Flamenco of Ciutat Vella in Barcelona
after an intense week of activities related to flamenco. Concerts,
conferences and deejay session were the main activities offered
at the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona
beginning May 23rd. Going over the program we find a title:
“Asentaos” with the image of a broken beach chair,
a piano and a historic figure, Pepe Marchena, the central
theme of the conferences, an excellent artistic program that
mixes veterans and young hopefuls in all the concerts at both
the large and small venues, a children’s program by
the Turruquena company, a different sort of fiesta finale
and a special ambience for the deejays at the Pati de les
Dones of the CCCB…a true flamenco festival for the twenty-first
century.
Photogallery:
Fuensanta La Moneta – Rocío Molina
On Tuesday, May 23rd, the group headed by Xavier Marystany
kicked off with their show “Assentiment” based
on wind instruments, percussion and a flamenco singer, Alba
Guerrero. Two years ago in Barcelona Pepe Marchena’s
centennial was celebrated with a presentation by the Spanish
Society of Authors (SGAE) with José Luis Ortiz Nuevo.
Now Pepe Marchena was again present in Barcelona as the focus
of a series of conferences. Four prestigious speakers outlined
the life and work of one of flamenco’s greatest singers.
During the festival the auditorium of the CCCB turns into
a “flamenco chill-out” with spectacular staging.
On this occasion, great swaths of colored fabric criss-crossed
the hall and the venue served to present relevant groups of
the current flamenco scene and artists such as flautist Domingo
Patricio and percussionist Pepe Motos from the group Calima.
This band’s musical journey filled the hall to the rafters.
Another group made up of former members of Ojos de Brujo rose
to the occasion and produced a respectable mixture of flamenco,
oriental, Latin and Western music. On Saturday, May 27th children’s
entertainment came in the form of marionettes by Turruquena
and flamenco was the star which delighted people of all ages.
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Tomás de Perrate
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Domingo Patricio
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The ambience of the spectacular outdoor venue Pati de les
Dones gave a unique and different feeling to the main concerts.
Among the programed performers, noteworthy were the names
Chano Domínguez, Rocío Molina and Esperanza
Fernández.
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Chano Dominguez
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Juan Cortés – Antonio Serrano
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Thursday the 25th Chano Domínguez offered a unique
concert. Having participated in various editions of the festival,
this time he opted for a reduced format with singer Sara Flores,
Piraña on percussion and special guest artist Tomasito.
The pianist did a fine job and managed to demonstrate why
he’s known for bringing the language of jazz to flamenco.
The packed audience got to their feet and gave the man from
Cádiz a lengthy ovation. The evening opened with the
cante of Extremaduran singer Guadiana and closed with dancer
Fuensanta la Moneta. The girl from Granada who last year participated
in the Nou Barris festival, returned to Barcelona to offer
her temperamental dance which reminded many of the great Carmen
Amaya.
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Fuensanta La Moneta
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Rocio Molina
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On Friday the 26th a flamenco earthquake shook Barcelona.
Pianist Juan Cortés offered his “Jurepén”
accompanied by Antonio Serrano on harmonica and ending with
the rumba “Que sí, está buena”.
He was followed by Tomás de Perrate and his “Perraterías”.
If this singer’s recorded work was a surprise, his live
show was even moreso with a really great band. After a conventional
opening with the guitar of Antonio Moya, the band appeared
and got rocking. They began with tangos del Piyayo in a reggae
mood and ended with bulerías de Utrera and Lebrija
invoking the magic of Tomas’ aunt María la Perrata.
But the best was yet to come. Word had gotten round about
the young new dancer Rocío Molina, and she’ll
be even more talked-about after her performance in Barcelona.
As one spectator put it, “these are moments when you
really understand what art is all about”. An genuine
aesthetic experience. Her backup group was correspondingly
excellent, particularly singer Rafael Jiménez “El
Falo”.
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Guadiana
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Tomasito & Piraña
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On Saturday the 27th, David Peña Dorantes started
the evening off on his own. He was soon joined by Manuel Nieto
on bass, Tete Peña on percussion and the much-awaited
voice of Esperanza Fernández who reached the heights
with an adaptation of “La Masa” by Silvio Rodríguez.
Belén Maya and her ‘bata de cola’ wrapped
up the 13th edition of the Ciutat Vella Festival Flamenco.
All the ingredients for a flamenco festival in the 21st century
come together each year at the Centro de Cultura de Flamenco
de Barcelona with the Festival Flamenco de Ciutat Vella.
Photogallery:
Fuensanta La Moneta – Rocío Molina
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