VIII Festival de Jerez – 6 de marzo. Cía. Carmen Cortés – La Celestina

Baile: Carmen Cortés, Trinidad Artíguez,
Mayte Bajo, Niño de los Reyes, Isaac de los Reyes, Álvaro
Paños. Músic: Gerardo Núñez,
Juan Manuel Alonso.

Singer
José de la Tomasa with the splendid accompaniment of Manolo
Franco got the ninth day of the Festival de Jerez underway at the
Museo Taurino with good solid cante and the priceless backup of
Nano de Jerez for the long bulerías that ended the recital.

We made our way to the Villamarta for the premiere of Carmen Cortés’
“La Celestina” based on the classic attributed to Fernando
de Rojas, and they tell me there’s not going to be any cante,
an intentional omission, but difficult to assimilate nevertheless.
Still, the very high level of Carmen’s dancing, not to mention
the music of her partner guitarist Gerardo Núñez seems
to be an ironclad guarantee.

The show begins with a recorded voice that is difficult to understand
due to certain deficiencies in the amplification. The dark story
of love and manipulation is told by means of a fanciful combination
of dream and flashback. The pre-recorded sound of Gerardo Núñez
once again demonstrates his musical genius in some extraordinarily
beautiful passages, as well as his desire to get away from openly
flamenco references, although the classic “escalera”
of farruca is repeated several times and becomes a motif.

The dark stage set adds a certain confusion, although some images
are quite attractive, particularly the ingenious use of semitransparent
flowing fabrics, not only in the wardrobe, but in the set as well.
When there is a momentary flash of dance with recognizable compás,
the audience is clearly relieved and the first applause erupts –
if only Núñez and his collaborator Juan Manuel Alonso
had had more faith in flamenco to structure the music which wanders
aimlessly, as does the story.

A fanciful combination of dream and
flashback

The quick compás fix is fleeting and for no apparent reason
we are deprived of seeing this magnificent dancer, one of the best
in flamenco today, do what she is capable of doing. The absence
of singing, the repeated off-stage voice that cannot be understood,
the rambling music, the confusing story line and the smoke machine
which doesn’t quit make La Celestina a distant and difficult
work to assimilate.

The work and sacrifice of two great artists such as Gerardo Núñez
and Carmen Cortés must be respected, but when you take big
risks, success or failure is correspondingly big, and this show
promises more than it delivers.

The night was rounded out at the Sala de la Compañía
with dancer Carmelilla Montoya who is remembered from the Familia
Montoya that was so popular in the late nineteen-seventies, as well
as cante recitals at La Estella and El Garbanzo peñas, and
an improvised fiesta with singer Barullo and other members of the
Moneo family at Los Cernícalos, blessed flamenco peñas
of Jerez.

Text : Estela
Zatania

Theater
Villamarta Program
De Peña
en Peña Program: Trasnoches,
De Peñas, Peña de Guardia
Other
shows(Gloria Pura, Bordón
y cuenta nueva, De la Frontera, Café Cantante, Sólos
en Compañía)
Courses
and workshops