XV Festival Flamenco Caja de Madrid. Serranito / Miguel Poveda con Diego Carrasco, Rocio Molina, Diego Amador… Tierra de Calma

Text: Sonia Martínez Pariente
Photos: Rafael Manjavacas Lara

FIRST-CLASS FLAMENCO

At the fifteenth edition of the Caja de Madrid festival, the Galardón Flamenco de Alcalá, awarded annually to veteran artists established in Madrid, was given to guitarist Víctor Monje «Serranito».As a sign of gratitude, he put the statuette to his heart, the place he claimed the prize deserved to be.

Ángel Álvarez Caballero, Félix Grande, Alejandro Reyes, Serranito y José María Velázquez Gaztelu

Serranito showed us the way to classic flamenco guitar, to sobriety, to straightforward playing.Luckily for flamenco, there are guitarists who bring a wide range of possibilities.Right now, the virtuoso approach is what sells, incorporating other instruments and musical genres…and the result is some brilliant performances.But it's always a good idea, especially for younger audiences, to reflect on a maestro like Serranito, who sits down in his chair, just him alone with his guitar, to play taranta, soleá, granaína, farrruca, seguiriya…in the traditional manner.Víctor Monje offered a variety of compositions from his vast repertoire, some he hadn't played in a very long time, as he himself acknowledged in the farruca that turned out to be one of the best pieces.He played masterfully and serenely, a true lesson for all musicians.There was also room for dance.Ángel Muñoz adorned the zapateado Serranito played, with a classy traditional choreography.For alegrías, the guitarist dared to sing a bit: «I felt like singing tonight and thought 'why not?' » explained the guitarist to his audience, and certainly it was a very special day.

We call a musician «maestro» when, as in Serranito's case, the title has been earned based on lifelong achievement.Even so, you have to be careful about using the term with a young singer like Miguel Poveda, if only because the passage of time should be respected.But the Catalonian singer who presented his new recording «Tierra de Calma», once again captivated the audience thanks to his enormous artistic quality.It is surprising to observe how he is able to out-do himself in every performance.To begin with, he has a lovely, sweet, sensitive flamenco voice with low tones that are constantly being explored, and a special way of phrasing the cante.If you add to this the high quality of the people he surrounds himself with, it all adds up to a grand show no one can criticize.Especially noteworthy is the work of guitarist Juan Carlos Romero, in charge of having produced a fine recording.Miguel opens with the farruca which is the title piece of his new record, original and beautiful.He does a fine job with alegrías as well, and shows his versatility with malagueña and abandolao, with richness in the registers of the soleá, and purity in the tonás.

Miguel Poveda – Rocio Molina

Dancer Rocío Molina appears.With her exquisitely delicate poses she adorns the cante.In sevillanas, the two artists offer an authentic tour de force, a lesson in sensitivity.Pianist Diego Amador joins the group, Miguel sings mineras, Diego plays solo, the whole thing is flamenco seduction.In tangos and in the bulerías cuplé, the singer keeps emotions high.Pure unmitigated art fills and overflows the stage as Diego Carrasco replies with cante and baile, and in the bulerías, «Alfileres de Colores», Poveda even dances.The climax is reached.Rocío Molina does some powerful bulerías dedicated to Pedro Almodóvar who is in the audience.

The bottom line is, this moving and generous concert is yet another triumph for Miguel Poveda, because the singer gives us the full luxury of his art.