El Teatro de la Maestranza joins in to the rhythm of the XXIV Biennial of Flamenco of Sevilla with a program, made up of large-format proposals, that combines canteMusic and dance in two world premieres and a series of unrepeatable nights, beginning with the debut of the new show by Sara Baras, who returns to the Biennial fourteen years later to present InfiniteA premiere created exclusively for this event will also mark the opening of this edition and the start of the city's performing arts season. Alongside this highly anticipated creation, the theater will also host the premiere of a new show by Israel Galvanas well as a series of performances framed under the concept of unique nights. Pieces conceived as exclusive events, with singular encounters between artists, spaces and repertoires that are born with a vocation for exceptionality and to happen only once.
Among those attending the presentation of the Maestranza's program were Pepe Torres, Juan Manuel Cañizares, Marina Heredia, Angie Moreno, Luis Ybarra, Carmen Linares, and Pedro María. Peña and Esperanza Fernández. In the videos accompanying this article you can see statements from all of them.
The Delegate for Tourism and Culture of the Seville City Council, Angie Moreno, has highlighted that “the presence of the Teatro de la Maestranza at the Biennial of Flamenco reaffirms Seville's role as the undisputed capital of jondo internationally, with a program that combines artistic excellence, large-scale productions, and unique proposals designed to thrill audiences.” In this regard, Moreno emphasized that “we are talking about a first-rate stage that hosts world premieres and unrepeatable encounters between artists, consolidating the Biennial as the great global showcase of flamenco".
The councilwoman also pointed out that “the City Council continues to champion a diverse, accessible, and high-quality culture that connects tradition with contemporary creation and places our artists at the forefront.” “The Biennial not only projects Seville’s image to the world, but also generates cultural, economic, and tourism activity, reinforcing our identity and our leadership as a cultural city,” Angie Moreno concluded.
For his part, the director of the Biennial, Luis YbarraHe commented that “the Teatro de la Maestranza is a coliseum of culture in the city, and the flamencoThrough the Biennial, it has become customary to fill it during the month of September every two years.” In this way, he added, “deep culture is showcased to nearly 20.000 people.”
"The Teatro de la Maestranza joins the rhythm of the XXIV Biennial of Flamenco from Seville with a program that combines cante"Play and dance in two world premieres and a series of unrepeatable nights, beginning with the debut of Sara Baras's new show, who returns to the Biennial fourteen years later to present Infinita."
Regarding the program, the director emphasized that “from the opening with Sara Baras to the closing, led by Carmen Linares surrounded by women of different generations on the thirtieth anniversary of Anthology of women in the canteWe hope to be excited by the canteThe dance and guitar of leading figures. We will celebrate Gypsy culture with Marina Heredia, José Mercé and the show Cinnamon and clovesWe will embrace the classics with Maestro Cañizares alongside the ROSS and we will delight, I am sure, in the new work of Israel Galván. Farruquito And Manuel Liñán, who has created a show to showcase his credentials in Seville. Often, the idea of “unique nights” comes from the artists themselves, who see the Biennial as the space in which to present themselves with the greatest singularity. We will enjoy ourselves, we will question ourselves, and we will continue to sharpen our gaze in that auditorium where several generations have been formed as spectators.”
The highly anticipated return of flamenco dancer Sara Baras to the Biennial will open the program at the Teatro de la Maestranza with a triple performance. InfiniteThe performance, which will be presented on September 11, 12, and 13, inaugurating this 24th edition, is based on the identity, heritage, and symbolic power of Andalusia. The show proposes a theatrical journey through eight female perspectives that embody the heartbeat of the region. flamenco of the eight Andalusian provinces; a creation that, according to the artist, is born "from a land that gives to us and teaches us, from a heartbeat that does not stop."
Flamenco dancer Israel Galván will also premiere a new show at the Biennial and on the stage of the Teatro de la Maestranza. On September 26, he will present his work to the Seville audience and visitors. Bolero in white and black, in which he will pay tribute to Maurice Ravel Performing 'Boleros' and other pieces, as well as boleros by singers Ramón Calabuch Batista (Moncho) and Juan José Amador Amador, two leading figures in this musical genre. As Galván himself points out, “we are going to strip the bolero of its color, its frills, its merengue, its candelabras. We are going to leave it in an austere room, making it whisper softly in your ear while, at the same time, maintaining a rhythmic machine that never stops.”
The Biennial's program in this space is complemented by a varied series of unique evenings featuring leading figures in art. flamencoThe touch of Juan Manuel Canizares, recognized in 2023 with the National Music Prize in the Performance category, will open the unique nights at the Maestranza on September 19 with Cañizares Symphonic, a large-scale recital in which the guitarist and composer will be accompanied by the Ross and will perform two of his most significant works for guitar and orchestra: the Al-Andalus Concert, in memory of Paco de Lucía, as well as the Mediterranean Concert, dedicated to Joaquín RodrigoThe show, which marks the first time both works have been performed in Seville, as well as Cañizares' first collaboration with the ROSS, will be conducted by the maestro Santiago Serrate and will feature the participation of palmeros Ángel Muñoz and Charo Espino, integrating the palmas flamenco within the symphonic format in an avant-garde proposal that expands the expressive limits of the concerto for guitar and orchestra.
The following night, September 20, the flamenco singer from Jerez Jose Merce will present Sound the alarm, alluding to the title of a seguirilla by the Jerez-born flamenco singer Juanito Mojama -Even if they sound the alarm—, an expression that indicates giving an urgent alarm signal, traditionally by means of bells. Possessor of one of the most extensive discographies of cante Currently with almost twenty albums released, Mercé will bring to the stage of the Teatro de la Maestranza a show in which he will be accompanied by new promises of the guitar.
"From the opening with Sara Baras to the closing by Carmen Linares, we hope to be moved by the canteThe dance and guitar playing of leading figures. (...) We will enjoy ourselves, we will question ourselves, and we will continue to sharpen our gaze in that auditorium where several generations have been formed as spectators" (Luis Ybarra)
On September 22nd, it will be the turn of the Granada-born dancer and choreographer Manuel Linan, who in his reunion with the Seville public will present Flamenco dancer@A dance recital featuring several guest artists, in which the artist celebrates who he is. “This show is not research or experimentation, but rather a recognition. It is my own acceptance,” explains Liñán, who conceives of this work as the result of several years dedicated to building an identity from which he can dance fully, even while facing social criticism and judgment. Thus, through a selection of pieces that reflect his evolving identity, the artist invites the audience to connect with his story through emotion and movement. Flamenco dancer@ It is an act of freedom, a personal and artistic reaffirmation that finds in the flamenco its most authentic language.
The profound mark left by the Roma community in the flamenco The flamenco singers will arrive at the Teatro de la Maestranza as a tribute on the night of September 24th. Esperanza Fernández, Duquende and José Valencia, and the dancers Pepe Torres placeholder image y Nazareth Kings will stage Cinnamon and clovesa show directed by Peter Maria Peña that celebrates a meeting with the roots of flamenco Far from being stuck in nostalgia, this art form projects itself into the present and future, transforming the legacy into something living and renewed. The proposal emphasizes the unique contribution of the Roma people to this art, which owes much of its essence and magic to the creativity, intuition, and singular ability of the Roma to feel and interpret it.
It will also be cited Farruquito with the Maestranza audience at this Biennial. The dancer will perform on September 28th You'll be FarruquitoAn emotional biography told from the absolute truth of the body and rhythm, supported by projections of previously unseen personal archives. The show is based on a journey in five acts, inviting the audience on a chronological and sensory exploration of the artist's life stages, so that each palo flamenco It embodies a moment in his history: inheritance (the childhood of a boy marked by an unrepeatable dynasty), learning (the rigor, discipline, and solitude of artistic growth), explosion (the artist's consecration), resilience (his fall, the pain, the internal struggle, and the reconstruction), and legacy (the present and the future embodied in John the Dark(his son).
To inaugurate October, on the night of the 1st, Marina Heredia He will also be accompanied by the ROSS in Free! The Gypsy WayTo coincide with the sixth centenary of the documented arrival of the Romani people to the Iberian Peninsula, the Granada-born flamenco singer, a regular performer on major music stages and at prestigious national and international festivals, has created a work in keeping with this significant date. Heredia lends her voice to this symphonic poem that reflects the enduring journey of the Romani people and their vital priorities: freedom, family and respect for elders, food, singing, and dancing. The piece follows the Romani people's journey from Rajasthan (the region of Pakistan from which they were expelled) to the present day, focusing on the sense of freedom they have always found in music and dance.
The Teatro de la Maestranza will also be the venue for the closing of the Biennial on the night of October 3. Carmen Linares will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of his album Anthology of women in the cante with the show Pearls by the Thousands, in which he will be accompanied by other great voices of the jondo like Marina Heredia and Maria Terremoto, and the dance of Raphael CarrascoA unique night that will bring this edition to a close, and for which the singer has selected an essential repertoire of styles flamencos of this anthological album, with a program headed by cantiñas from Cádiz, tangos from Granada and soleares from Triana. ♦
