The evening began with great poetic force. The first Biennial Flamenco MadridDirected by Angel Rojas and that started with cante On May 26, he had scheduled two singers with long careers, Antonio Reyes y Hope Fernandez, with the intention of premiering a show, On the banks of cante.
After a brief introduction by the guitarist Joni JimenezEsperanza Fernández, majestic in black, moved across the stage with that ceremonial slowness that announces the transcendent. Her Gelem gelem It filled the air, a reminder of so many things: of what the Triana native stands for, and the heritage she carries within her. It was a good omen: such a high-profile presentation raised expectations to the sky.
El anthem of the Roma people He was answered with another declaration of intentions: that of Antonio Reyes with a round of tonás finished with variations on the grape grower's proclamation.
This Gypsy start, loaded with symbolism and emotion, set the tone in a depth and depth that was sought for the rest of the night in that territory where the flamenco inherited, lived, hurt, shared by generations.
The search continued, but the outcome was uneven. Although the show was advertised as a match, a "mano a mano," and that opening line was defended as such, the match never took place again. There was no dialogue between singers, a missed opportunity.: Fernández and Reyes, although of geographical origins –and therefore, flamencos– disparate, they share vocal characteristics and registers. They also share a love for developing the legacy they hold dear. But after an excellent joint opening, we saw the same old thing again: two recitals from each artist in their most personal territory, where they feel most comfortable. So much so, that they were even repeated. cantes.
Antonio Reyes displayed his characteristic melodic voice for alegrías, he delicately savored the thirds of some tientos-tangos that he masterfully performed, and navigated through seguiriyas with the technical solvency that characterizes him.
"Anything else jondo!” they shouted from the audience. when he closed the tangos. “How about some seguiriyas?” the singer responded from the stage. It is well known that the depth of the song is not in the cante and that jondas can be bulerías and tangos as much as seguiriyas. Perhaps there was something of this in that exclamation as well.
Reyes maintained his line of vocal elegance and sweet timbre, showing that ability of his to make the cante flow naturally. Esperanza Fernández, true to her expressive style, demonstrated her total commitment to each palo which he approached, always seeking the emotional intensity that characterizes great singers.
She returned to the stage after Reyes' seguiriyas and a guitar transition, a moment of intense intensity that filled the air with confusion over the absence of the evening's second singer. Jiménez tried to maintain the excitement, but by the time Fernández emerged, it was gone.
They had to start from scratch, and already dressed in green and with a cape, the Trianera stood up and fought with her petenera. Penitencia, followed by a soleá from Triana finished with caña that showed his deep knowledge of tradition and that his voice contains generations.
"The true hero of the evening was Joni Jiménez, whose guitar struck the perfect balance between tradition and innovation. His work was exemplary. He knew how to adapt to the expressive needs of each singer without losing his own artistic personality."
The guitar as the protagonist
The true hero of the evening was Joni Jiménez, whose guitar struck the perfect balance between tradition and innovation. His work was exemplary: he knew how to adapt to the expressive needs of each singer without losing his own artistic personality. His elegant playing alternated traditional codes with a more contemporary, dry and rhythmic pulse, but always with taste and emotion. He was particularly brilliant on the seguiriya, accompanying Reyes, where he created a hypnotic atmosphere that kept the audience in a state of contemplation. His granaína solo worked as a necessary poetic transitionIt's a shame that the foot he tried to offer to the singer, with such a confusing transition, made him lose the magic he had built with his hands.
The singers would share the stage again for the closing act, which, as dictated by the rules that none of the night's protagonists wanted to deviate from, took place with bulerías. Everything went as expected: extended and cante melodic in those of Reyes, couplets and stage display in those of Fernández, but no communication, no gesture, no look, no dialogue between the two.
Nor was there any in the fandangos they offered as an encore, in which, despite their efforts, they did not give their all – they did not want to do without the microphone – and, in any case, the Triana native closed as she started, defending her family gypsy heritage with that little lyric that she includes in The same as metals, from his album Regards: “Because I was born a gypsy, I have cinnamon skin, art was the cantewhere I drank as a child and I am also from Triana…”.
The public, which filled the South Patio of the stadium with around 600 seats, Conde Duque Contemporary Culture Center of the capital, responded with warmth, great applause and many standing ovations. Although the annoying folding chairs – probably the one who chooses these chairs for the flamenco has no experience of living for an hour and a half sitting in them - did not generate a single complaint or desertion: there was a great desire to cante and of magic that, despite the efforts, did not happen.
Credits
On the banks of cante, by Antonio Reyes and Esperanza Fernández
1st Biennial Flamenco Madrid
Conde Duque Center for Contemporary Culture, Madrid
May 27th 2025
Cante: Antonio Reyes and Esperanza Fernández
Guitar: Joni Jiménez
