XV Festival Flamenco Caja de Madrid. Diego Clavel / Carmen Linares

OF WISDOM AND AGED WOOD

1st Part “Sabiduría” Cante: Diego Clavel. Guitar: Antonio Carrión.
2nd Part “De aire y madera” Cante: Carmen Linares.Guitar: Juan Carlos Romero, Paco Cruzado. Dance: Edu Lozano, palmas and chorus: Ana Gonzáles and Javier González

Text: Manuel Moraga
Photos: Rafa Manjavacas

After the initial week of parallel activities at the Casa Encendida, the «Semana Grande» of the Festival Flamenco Cajamadrid got under way at the Teatro Albéniz with Diego Clavel and Carmen Linares, two different approaches united in their respect for the art.And along with them, two perspectives on guitar playing, Antonio Carrión and Juan Carlos Romero.Diversity is synonymous with richness.

Diego Clavel from La Puebla de Cazalla is a fine example of Seville-style flamenco from the heartland: sedate, profound, almost dusty.His performance is tagged on the program as «Sabiduría», or wisdom, something he himself denies with characteristic humility, attributing his knowledge to mere longevity.But few singers handle such an ample repertoire.Another matter is whether his way of presenting the forms is to everyone's liking, but without any doubt, Diego Clavel possesses a deep well of knowledge.He demostrated as much in this performance that grew in intensity in the style of La Puebla: if the town's famous cante festival ends with tonás, Diego ended his recital with extraordinary siguiriyas and cabales.He also interpreted soleá, malagueñas, tientos, cantiñas and caña.Everything in place, with absolute perfection, and more importantly, bravery, in such a way that even though Diego Clavel is not considered a singer who raises gooseflesh (generally speaking), he certainly managed to trigger the warmest «oles» of the night.And at every step of the way, he explained what he was doing, which is very useful for flamenco followers to broaden their horizons.Antonio Carrión's magnificent guitar fit this singing like a glove, coddling, protecting, uplifting or adding intensity when necessary, managing to create an atmosphere, a seamless whole, and finally creating a delightful balance between voice and guitar.This guitarist also forms part of that sedate flamenco of Seville's inland as expressed by Melchor de Marchena.

By the time intermission came around, we were left with a very good impression.Too bad that at the tavern across the street we ran into the slowest, least efficient and most unpleasant waiter in Madrid.I recommend you skip this place if you suffer heart problems.In fact even without heart problems: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Back at the Albéniz – no telling how much longer we'll be able to enjoy this theater – the second part of the program awaited: «De Aire y Madera».Carmen Linares sang with her usual professionalism, which is considerable, although some brightness and intensity would have been appreciated, both in her voice and in the show itself.In fact it probably was closer to «madera», wood, than «aire», air.Nevertheless the interaction between voice and guitar was very nice: Linares' textured voice was colored every step of the way by Juan Carlos Romero's guitar, more and more sought after by the most important singers, and not only to accompany, but to compose as well.Some of the pieces bore his creative mark, such as the bulerías por soleá or a lovely song with verse by Ortiz Nuevo and set to fandangos.Carmen Linares, as we all know, has a great deal of knowledge and is infinitely resourceful, knowing how to combine tradition with updated approaches for a flamenco feeling that doesn't let you down.She interpreted cantes like taranta, bulería por soleá, romeras and bulerías.Edu Lozano's dancing was noteworthy, with his vertical, rigid aesthetic, full of gravity, strength and flamenconess.

Thus was inaugurated the fifteenth edition of the Festival Flamenco Cajamadrid with two major singers who share a boundless love for flamenco but give it shape in different forms.It's what makes this art so great.

Post script:It makes no sense at all that the organization of the Festival Andalucía Flamenca is offering performances this very week in another Madrid theater, with identical times for both series.Madrid flamenco fans deserve better than this, and so do the artists.I'm afraid that with the tradition and weight of the Festival Cajamadrid, Pastora Galván and Isabel Bayón will have felt the ill effects of this conflicct.The just always pay the price for the sinners.