XVI Bienal de Flamenco. 'La pasión según se mire' Andrés Marín / Paco Escobar 'A Contratiempo'

Photos: Luis Castilla / Bienal de Flamenco

SPECIAL COVERAGE: BIENAL DE FLAMENCO DE SEVILLA 2010

“LA PASIÓN SEGÚN SE MIRE” ANDRÉS MARÍN
Guest artists: José de la Tomasa, Lole Montoya, Concha Vargas.
Teatro Lope de Vega 9 pm

Ficha artística: Baile: Andrés Marín; Artistas invitados: Concha Vargas, Lole Montoya, José de la Tomasa; Cante: José Valencia, Pepe de Pura; Guitarras: Salvador Gutiérrez, David Marín; Laúd árabe: YorgosKaralis; Marimba y Percusión: Daniel Medina; Percusión Flamenca: Antonio Coronel; Clarinete: Javier Delgado; Tuba: José Miguel Sanz.

Text: Gonzalo Montaño Peña.

Andrés Marín got the whole audience worked up at the Lope de Vega with a show that was both daring and substantial, conceptual but loaded with traditional elements.  A work that shows he is at the forefront of contemporary flamenco dance, and it is surely because he knows classic flamenco singing and dance inside and out.

This is clearly a show about passion.  The passion Andrés Marín feels for cante, and the presence of Lole on stage.  With her mere presence, this woman radiates art and her voice singing in Arabic to open the show accompanied on the lute was absolutely wonderful.

Also clear is the passion Andrés feels and radiates when he dances to good cante such as that provided by Pepe de Pura in the tientos and siguiriya.  Marín’s contemporary forms mark the singing with perfect poses and clean rhythmic feet.

I have a hunch Andrés’ passion for classic gypsy dance yielded what will go down as one of the most memorable moments of the entire Bienal: the dance of romance with Concha Vargas and the voice of José Valencia.  It was a moment that got the seven-hundred people in the audience feeling good.  What a perfect contrast of forms, and what communication between the three artists.  This got the crowd to their feet in the middle of the show.

Then, Lole on stage again to sing about love.  Only she can sing that word and make it so full of meaning.

Now Marín becomes a bird singing through the body of a clarinet, and I am reminded of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”.

Another of the concepts I liked best was the unusual juxtaposition of elements that took place, nothing conventional at all, quite novel really, and well-conceived, passionate and fascinating, such as tangos sung and danced to a tuba.  Cante to a marimba was also a pleasant surprise.  Soleá de Triana sung by José de la Tomasa accompanied by a clarinet was danced by Andrés, the enfant terrible.

There are things that only someone who lives in the Macarena can bring to Seville, such as two carts with candles to suggest a Holy Week procession which is then danced to by Marín as half-dressed penitent, iconoclast and passionate…the flamenco scriptures according to Andrés Marín.

José de la Tomasa closed the surprising show with magnificent martinetes as Marín carried an anvil as if he were carrying the cante and dance.  A visual memory that will not soon be forgotten.

“PACO ESCOBAR A CONTRATIEMPO”
Teatro Alameda 11.00 pm

Ficha artística: Guitarra: Paco Escobar; Viola de Gamba: FahmiAlqhai; Piano: Laura de los Ángeles; Bandoneón: Luís Caruana; Guitarra: Antonio Carmona; Percusión y Marimba: Antonio Moreno; Violín: Jaime Hernando; Cante y Palmas: Inma “la Carbonera”, Victoria Escobar.

Text: Gonzalo Montaño Peña

Last night guitarist Paco Escobar debuted in the Bienal de Sevilla with a presentation in which he showed us some of the sources of inspiration for his guitar-playing, a melodic concept from the generation previous to this one, but well-polished.

Truth is, after the powerfully moving show of Andrés Marín, the level for the night had been set very high.  All the same, I attended this recital anxious to know what this Seville guitarist would have to say.

The show opened with a granaína accompanied on piano, which already gave a hint of what was in store: new forms within classic guitar structures, as well as other instruments that were incorporated.  Exceedingly lengthy compositions led to an overly long recital.

Paco Escobar’s sound is clean, and he has a firm touch.  He seemed more at ease in the solo parts than when he accompanied cante where he seemed to lack confidence.

The show had some original bits, such as the zambra por siguiriya in which Escobar proved to have a flamenco concept of the forms.  The piano of Laura de los Ángeles was reminiscent of Arturo Pavón in what was probably the best part of the recital.  I also liked the accordion which added a fresh sound, and the viola accompaniment was also inspired.

There were other moments I liked less, such as the tangos which were so conventional, the piece became tiresome.  Or the bulerías with piano with piano which sounded like music for dancing horses.

Nor were the voices convincing in any of tghe cantes, perhaps “La Carbonera” in the above-mentioned zambra, but that’s about it.

Overall, the recital was too long to be enjoyable, twelve compositions of nearly ten minutes each, with constant stopping to tune the guitar which didn’t help the flow.  Good elements that didn’t seem to be put together right.