After hosting the Amalgam Cycle, the Royal Artillery Factory (Seville) joins the spaces of the XXIV Biennial of Flamenco to host the world premieres of several of the shows in its program. The building, one of the city's most imposing and unique heritage structures, will be the stage for the creations that will be presented Ana Morales on September 13th and 14th, Rhapsody. Underground Fantasy, and Pablo Martín Caminero, which will be staged on September 22, 23 and 24 Trilogy, a proposal that frames three pieces around the cante, the touch and the dance.
The Delegate for Tourism and Culture of the Seville City Council, Angie MorenoHe highlighted the inclusion of the Royal Artillery Factory in the Biennial's program as "a natural step in the process of consolidating this space as one of the city's major cultural hubs." In this regard, he recalled that "following the excellent reception of the Amalgam Cycle"It is reopening to this universal art, reinforcing its role as a place for contemporary creation and dialogue between tradition and innovation."
He also emphasized that “the Royal Artillery Factory is proving to be much more than a restored heritage site: it is a vibrant place where culture is taking root and fostering community.” “This is what the residents of San Bernardo and Nervión themselves tell us; they already feel a sense of ownership over this site and come by asking about the daily program. This connection with the surrounding area is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of this project.”
Finally, he pointed out that “the presence of the Biennial in this space not only expands the festival's scope, but also allows us to explore new formats and experiences in a unique environment, capable of hosting large-scale proposals and, at the same time, promoting artistic experimentation.”
For his part, the director of the Biennial, Luis YbarraShe stated that “this is one of the major new features of this edition. A space with a vocation for avant-garde and creation that is being incorporated into the artistic circuit not only of the Biennial, but also of the city.” In that regard, she added that “in addition to an intense parallel program that we will announce in due course, Artillería brings together a series of dance and instrumental pieces conceived from that perspective. On the one hand, a premiere by Ana Morales, National Dance Prize winner, for whom a work naturally emerged that had to be told from the underground and, of course, from Seville, since the piece begins in 16th-century passageways to take us into another realm. On the other hand, we will enjoy for the first time over three consecutive days Pablo Martín Caminero's trilogy in trio format. First, Right nowwhere sublime pieces like Alcazar of Seville o Birth de Manolo Sanlucar they take on a jazzy tone and jondo on the double bass. On the other hand, To the dance, a premiere that has the support of Maria Moreno. And finally, Al Cantewhere the trio from Vitoria joins with the heart-wrenching echo of David Carpio"From Jerez, to cause mischief." "I think it's a great opportunity for Seville to see an exceptional musician, who isn't programmed very often in Andalusia, in these three shows that are like artillery cannons," he concluded.
Rhapsody. Underground FantasyAna Morales's new creation is structured as an Orphic journey that descends to 16th and 17th century Seville through the free form of the rhapsody and features the musical direction of Elche Niño, the flamenco guitar of Manolo Franco and the saxophone and electronics of José VendettiIn the piece, the discovery of an underground passageway opens the door to another time, a labyrinthine space where loss becomes the catalyst for fantasy and the driving force of the stage action. In this journey, texts by Saint John of the Cross and music from the Sevillian Renaissance intertwine with sounds that evoke a New World, generating a constant tension between the mystical and the pagan, between the ancient and the emerging.
True to a trajectory marked by the search for new languages within the flamencoMorales constructs here a choreographic device where gesture opens itself to the telluric and the visceral. Her training in contemporary dance and flamencoHis inclination towards improvisation as the seed of movement, as well as his inclination towards it, translates into a piece that explores the limits between desire and constraint, submission and liberation. The descent into the underworld is thus revealed as a metaphor for the creative process itself: an exploration towards the origin, towards the earth, where the flamenco finds new resonances without losing its roots.
The intensity, elegance, and stage presence that define the artist, recognized with the 2022 National Dance Award, permeate this proposal, which continues the lines of research
developed in previous works. Thus, in 'Rhapsody. Underground Fantasy'
Ana Morales reaffirms
a unique choreographic voice, capable of engaging with tradition from a profoundly insightful perspective
contemporary and to turn the stage into a space of transformation and discovery.
For his part, double bassist and composer Pablo Martín Caminero presents in this edition a
an ambitious 'Trilogy' that unfolds over three consecutive days and addresses, from
a personal perspective, the three pillars of flamenco: the touch, the cante and the dance. Far from being considered
As a project closed from its origin, this proposal arises, in his own words, from a
natural evolution: “After five albums dedicated to my own compositions [...I felt the
"the need to make a covers album," an impulse that would eventually open a creative path
much wider.
The first installment, 'Trilogy. At the Touch' (September 22), is part of a reinterpretation of a
repertoire linked to flamenco guitar (especially to the figure of Gerardo Núñez) from
an unusual format: a trio without guitar, consisting of piano and percussion. “I wanted a trio made up of
an improvisational pianist and a percussionist flamenco"
Caminero explains about this project, which
It marks the starting point of an exploration where the language of jazz becomes a vehicle for
to engage with flamenco tradition. In 'Trilogy. To cante'(September 23), the focus shifts to the voice, with the collaboration of
David Carpio, a flamenco singer from Jerez. What was initially intended to be a one-off appearance ended up
transforming into a deeper involvement: “After playing together [...I understood that
"We needed to delve deeper." The result is an organic integration between the cante and
Caminero's compositions, which, as he says, acquire "a new dimension" within this
jazz-rooted trio format.
The closing event is 'Trilogy. To the Dance' (September 24), featuring flamenco dancer María Moreno,
the musician's usual accomplice. This third point completes the picture and responds to an idea that,
although it started “almost as a joke”
, ended up consolidating the project: addressing the flamenco from
Its three fundamental pillars. “The possibility was too tempting.”
Caminero acknowledges that
He finds in dance a new space to expand his musical language in dialogue with the
movement.
With this trilogy, Pablo Martín Caminero, a musician trained at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts,
And with a career marked by versatility and the crossing of styles, he proposes “a way of looking
al flamenco from a format I'm familiar with"
, the one from the trio, “which gives me freedom and with which I feel
"I'm sure it will help me get closer to a type of music I respect so much."
The result is a coherent project and in
expansion that bridges the gap between jazz and flamenco, from listening, experimentation and
deep knowledge of both languages.
