El Flamenco On Fire It is a festival that manages to perform miracles. It unites artists of undisputed stature on the same stage, Rafael Riqueni, Manolo Franco, José Antonio Rodríguez and Gerardo Núñez, that in turn they pay tribute to the maestro Pepe Habichuela and that, in addition, Antonio Canales dance and recite, and Montse Cortes cante…it's not just anything. In Alzapúa III, which is a stage project conceived by this festival, in which absolute priority is given to the guitar. This year the focus has been on the generation that arrived after the tree Paco de Lucía, with the always important influence of the teacher Manolo Sanlucar.
En Bulwark, the theatre with the largest capacity in Pamplona, numerous guitar enthusiasts gathered who did not want to miss Manolo Franco playing farrucas, pure solemnity, José Antonio Rodríguez doing the same with bulerías, with his characteristic delicate style, Riqueni being inspired by fandangos, magic in his hands, and Gerardo Núñez finding his own story in the rondeña. Riqueni and Franco performed duets in Bitterness, and Gerardo and José Antonio por bulerías por soleá. And of course, Antonio Canales, who appeared as a guest, as did Montse Cortés, to make the moment even richer, more special, more unique. The seguiriya they played was more emotional than perfectionist, a reflection of another era. Before closing the curtain, Pepe Habichuela He came out to receive the clamor of the public, the respect of his colleagues and gave us a soleá as an authority on Granada's playing.
"The Flamenco On Fire It's a festival that manages to perform miracles. It brings together artists of undisputed stature such as Rafael Riqueni, Manolo Franco, José Antonio Rodríguez, and Gerardo Núñez on the same stage, who in turn pay tribute to the maestro Pepe Habichuela, and who also have Antonio Canales dance and recite, and Montse Cortés. cante…it’s not just anything»
During the day, things don't stop. Meetings like the significant one are being held from twelve o'clock in the morning. tribute to Basque Pelota and the careers of four Navarrese Gypsy pelotaris, emblematic figures in the frontons, within the 600th anniversary of the arrival of the Gypsy People to the peninsula: Chichán, David Arbizu, Iban García and Abraham Antimasbeheres. Domingo Rubichi played solo, which is rare to see in these competitions, por seguiriyas and bulerías to celebrate the tribute. More tributes at the Nuevo Casino, to the illustrious José Luis Ortiz Nuevo, José Manuel Gamboa and Isamay Benavente, research, dissemination and commitment… Excited and grateful, they are personalities who have managed to make art flamenco Much more than a playful expression: Culture. To the Navarrese journalist Loretxo Iñarrea He was posthumously awarded the Honorary Award, the first time such an award has been given at this festival, for all the media contributions, "of love and passion," that he made during the festival's first years on TVE. Juan Vargas He put the icing on the cake with his guitar.
There was still the afternoon left, and before arriving at the gathering of guitar masters we were referring to, the Sabicas Space hosted two recitals. The first of these was given by the guitarist Miguel Vargas, seasoned in a thousand scenarios but with a clear purpose: to enjoy himself in order to make others enjoy, to be moved in order to be moved. It's a delicious guitar, which seems to speak, as he demonstrated in granaínas. Before that, his son Juan The taranta recital began with all the flavor of its father, a worthy and authorized heir to defend the saga. Jaleos, tangos, and even a folkloric nod to his homeland were included in the repertoire. They got off, got on Antonio Agujetas Chico and Domingo Rubichi, who accompanied each other in the first cantes of the palmas de Birdie y Christopher Santiago. Antonio's echo is Agujetas, although what I'm saying seems obvious. That imprints meaning, character, emotion, gypsy spirit, depth, marrow... His cante It is a path to the truth, to that cante that comes out of the treasure chest when he opens his mouth. Only a few can say that. Tientos tangos and malagueñas to start, bulerías to continue and dance of Beatrice Morales, with a quality full of rhythm and elegance. Domingo Rubichi is the guitarist who can best accompany Antonio, to this house, since he belongs to the same family and is a great fan of cante, respects it, pampers it, and knows how to handle it. The duo didn't forget the soleá, seguiriyas, and fandangos, with an insatiable audience, who wanted more and more; they were attending an almost spiritual encounter on earth.
To close the night, the cycle Nightclub at the Hotel Tres Reyes with the presence of Duquende, who received it at the end from the hands of Tomatito The Festival's red scarf. What a photo! And me next to it, soaking up the gathering. Duquende He was superb, enormous, dedicated and undoubtedly connected with a sold-out audience. July Romero He's their guitarist, and may he be for many years to come, because he plays with freshness and weight, with an outstanding sense of rhythm and great knowledge. Tarantas, bulerías por soleá, alegrías, bulerías, seguiriyas... and those titles included on some of his albums that turned everything upside down. A moving nod to Ray Heredia to The good and the bad. ♦
