Commemorating the birth of Jesus is the tradition of a great festival full of gastronomic variety and sound plurality that is passed from parents to children through carols, which, since the High Middle Ages, come from the songs of the villagers, from where they took their name.
Worldwide presence flamenco Christmas carols do not appear under that name in my sound archive, but rather as farruca (The Virgin was washing), and sings it The Little Owl around 1899. The Sevillian would be followed by the one who recorded in 1910 the Island Child also by farruca (Because the road was so long); then, the Girl of the Combs by bulerías in 1915 (Little shepherd, why are you crying?), and then, Telesforo del Campo by tangos in 1920 (The shepherds' fire).
A century later, it is invigorating that variety has broken the routine and adapts to all kinds of molds, as evidenced by The Tree of Joy, the debut in this cante of season of Miguel Poveda and whose staging began on November 15th at the Roquetas de Mar Auditorium Theatre (Almería), where the people of Roquetas savored songs that are signs of quality and flavor.
Miguel Poveda's branching work of Christmas carols explores stylistic seduction and fidelity to the promotion of flamenco tradition. and the sonic illusion before the upcoming liturgical period, testing the solidity of his repertoire, but also a powerful metaphor that is affected by the laws of time, as it applies to the present day, and where the singer shows a flexible tessitura capable of moving fluidly from the low to the high notes with the naturalness of an artist who knows the tradition, undoubtedly, but who has gained experience by experimenting.
Within that musicological framework, Poveda Open the door to the magic of Christmas with The Tree of Joy, a Catalan rumba with a beautiful sound and consistent from the first bars of the overture, to continue with the bulería The pastors, in which he resolves the accentuations with vigor and accuracy, responding with cohesion and delicacy to the mystery of the incarnation of Christ.
"With 'The Tree of Joy', every home has a joyful Christmas tree, even if only in their imagination, but with the added bonus that the one proposed by Miguel Poveda lights up in time and is decorated, with his personal touch, to suit all tastes."
The singer achieves, in fact, an emotional balance and authenticity in the tangos of The Repompa (Christmas Pom-pomdemonstrating its versatility across all styles, with a continuous brilliance that also provides expressive framework and rhetorical clarity. And to elaborate on what has been said, there we encounter Today, a Christmas carol song that confirms Poveda's virtuosity and vocal sensitivity, sustained, likewise, by his solid and natural stage presence.
At the same time, our protagonist gives a solid performance of Away with the punishments, the Christmas carol from Triana, cante which demands rhythmic virtuosity, variety and absolute control of style, considering that it requires projecting the voice over the rhythm with a sure technique, impeccable coloraturas and maintaining a measured order that reinforces the geographical position of the Sevillian suburb.
That same strategy appears in Oh! City of the Gypsies!A bulería with phrasing of enormous sensitivity, combining the lively and emotional with a touch that enhances the character of this work, which, additionally, presents a contrasting reading Road to Egypt, cante of threshing to thus compensate for the wide range of Christmas carols, always well-rounded, but also precise and wholesome as canteThey are also associated with agricultural work.
Moving along the grooves of the record, They arrived in Nazareth in the style of fandangos, full of agility and changes of mood, with a well-achieved interpretation at the expense of phrasing that is the prelude to At the portal of the East, the Lorca-style bulerías that bid us farewell in a capricious and luminous way, shining with ease and with great expressive capacity for their vocal timbre.
Miguel Poveda credibly fulfills the demands of a flamenco singer flamenco In contrast to Christmas carols, especially because they leave peace, hope, and joy in our hearts—which is what it's all about—they also constitute a true joy for their fans, who now have before them a new alternative proposal that brings a breath of fresh air to this artist's discography. flamenco who is already a star, since he enjoys superlative fame.
With this album, every home has, in short, a joyful Christmas tree, even if only in their imagination, but with the added bonus that the one proposed by Miguel Poveda lights up in time and is decorated, with his personal touch, for all tastes. And that is the Christmas spirit: to approach the birth of Jesus with generosity, but also with the values and joyful emotions of flamenco.
