XIII Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. 'Sevilla, concierto flamenco a su memoria'

Dance: Israel Galván, Pastora Galván. Cante:
Chano Lobato, Juan José Amador, Encarna Anillo Guitarra:
Manolo Franco, Alfredo Lago, Eduardo Rebollar. Cajón: Antonio
Barrull. Piano: Pedro Ricardo Miño. Sal Marina. Workers:
Manuel Asencio Padilla, Manuel Acosta Sánchez, Casimiro Sánchez
Franco, Manuel Sánchez Domínguez “Perlo de Triana”.
Director and master of ceremonies: José Luis Ortiz Nuevo.

This time there were neither Greek tragedies nor flashy
Hollywood productions…not even Lorca. The night of Thursday October
7th, the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla served up an audience-friendly
collection of Seville references, memorabilia and nostalgia, an
orgy of chauvinism from that old hand José Luis Ortiz Nuevo,
founder and first director of the Bienal.

Ortiz Nuevo opened the show and set the tone reading random sentences
from the morning paper including news about statements of his own
made to the press that very morning regarding the show about to
unfold, and that’s when we knew we were there to have a good
time, with no consciousness-raising, social agendas or murky artistic
pretense. Eighteen separate numbers, all held together by the common
theme of Seville. The voice and image of Pepe Marchena singing and
reciting is accompanied by the most avant-garde dancer of the moment,
Israel Galván, and the amusing combination of past and future
is a celebration of the diversity of flamenco. A saeta of la Niña
de los Peines is interpreted by Cádiz singer Encarna Anillo,
and Manolo Franco, first winner in 1984 of the Giraldillo del Toque
of that Bienal, plays a composition of Rafael Riqueni’s while
workers high up on catwalks construct the entrance to the Seville
fair.

An audience-friendly collection of Seville
references, memorabilia and nostalgia, an orgy of chauvinism

Sevillanas could not be left out and the group Sal Marina sang
several they made famous. The change is brusque when the voice of
Juan José Amador sings about the barrio de Triana where there
is neither pen nor ink, or the plaza del Altozano, old tonás,
followed by the characteristic flavor of soleá de Triana.

Pastora Galván, one of the most interesting young female
dancers of the moment, plays Carmen, she of Mérimée
and Bizet, to the piano of Pedro Ricardo Miño. After intermission
the party continues and even tanguillos de Cádez are from
Seville tonight. Ortiz Nuevo reads a newspaper story from May 24th,
1885 about the successful appearance of a carnival group from Cádiz
that performed in Seville, and Chano Lobato sings the classic tanguillos
to Seville “la más bonita del mundo entero” with
the guitar accompaniment of Eduardo Rebollar.

The unusual tangos del Titi de Triana which incorporate minor and
major key seldom found in conventional flamenco tangos, brings together
the talents of Israel and Pastora Galván and the cante of
Encarna Anillo with the guitar of Alfredo Lagos. Seguiriyas de Triana
by Juan José Amador and then more sevillanas by Sal Marina,
this time with dancing, and including “Sevilla tuvo una niña”
of the well-loved and much-missed Pali. Perhaps the most memorable
moment of the night, if not of the entire Bienal, was the sevillanas
Israel Galván danced with his sister. Never have sevillanas
been danced like this, nor is it likely they ever will be…impossible
to describe, pure Galvanic inspiration, delightful, brilliant, the
audience goes wild…there are many great dancers, but Israel is
in a class by himself in the most literal sense of the phrase.

For the closing fiesta number all the performers are on stage and
Encarna Anillo sings Pata Negra’s hit song “Yo me quedo
en Sevilla” with the piano accompaniment of Pedro Ricardo
Miño, and thus concludes a lighthearted and genuinely enjoyable
evening.