El Real Alcazar it is again in the XXIV Biennial of Flamenco of Sevilla What it has always been: a space where heritage is present. September 14 to 16, Hunting Courtyard will host Israel Fernández, Rancapino Chico and the cast of Jerezanias Luis El Zambo, Dolores AgujetasAntonio de la Malena, Manuel Valencia and Las Tatas de Jerez—, three proposals that, from different perspectives, share the same impulse: that of a cante who knows where he comes from and does not renounce it.
The Delegate for Tourism and Culture of the Seville City Council, Angie MorenoHe highlighted the value of bringing the Biennial to a setting like the Alcázar. "The Royal Alcázar is one of the most unique venues in the world and that the flamenco Its presence every two years during the Biennial is no coincidence: it is the clearest expression that this art form is part of the soul of Seville, its history, and its identity. The Biennial carries the flamenco "To the large spaces of the city, but also to its neighborhoods and local theaters, because we understand culture as something that should reach everyone," he said.
For his part, the director of the Biennial, Luis YbarraHe defined the Alcázar as the setting that best embodies that spirit. "The Alcázar's program is a celebration of heritage. Everything that takes place in the Patio de la Montería, in front of the façade of Pedro I, should be considered a unique event, as it can't be enjoyed in the same way anywhere else. Like the Alcázar itself, the Giralda, or the stretch of the Almohad wall, the flamenco "It is a heritage that we must protect equally," he stated.
It will open the cycle Israel Fernandez, considered one of the most important flamenco singers of his generation, who will arrive at the Alcázar on September 14 with Of gold and ivoryNominated for a Latin Grammy and winner of the Odeon Award for Best Album Flamenco by Love (2020) —recorded with Diego del Morao and one of the most celebrated Spanish music albums of that year— and the Spanish Music Academy Award for Pure blood (2023), Israel displays his most complete facet as a musician and artist in this show. The piano as central ornamentation, strings, choirs and his usual musicians flamencoThey are accompanied by a journey of original compositions and revisions of classic pieces that ranges from the intimate and melodic to the dark and heartbreaking.
"The Alcázar's program is a celebration of heritage. Everything that takes place in the Patio de la Montería, in front of the façade of Pedro I, should be considered a unique event, as it can't be enjoyed in the same way anywhere else. Like the Alcázar itself, the Giralda, or the stretch of the Almohad wall, the flamenco "It is a heritage that we must protect equally" (Luis Ybarra)
He will take over. Rancapino Chico on September 15 with Whiteboard, an absolute premiere in which the Chiclana-born flamenco singer —son of the great Rancapino and great-grandson of La Obispa— delves into the grooves of shellac records, that sonic treasure that recorded for posterity the cantes of PastoraTomás Pavón, Manuel Torre, El Cuacua, El Niño de Cabra, or El Cojo de Málaga. Heir to a long flamenco dynasty and winner of the first prize at the Competition of the Peña Flamenca Friends of the CanteIn this premiere, the artist is betting on drinking directly from the source where it springs forth. jondo, without intermediaries and in its most essential form, under the direction of Juan Valderrama Jr. He will be accompanied on guitar by Antonio Higuero and in the palmas Edu Gómez and Naim Real.
Regarding the closing night, Ybarra noted that "after listening to two figures from cante Today, we'll experience the vibrant spirit of Jerez with three family sagas: the Zambo, the Agujetas, and the Malena, joined by the Tatas of Jerez with all their genuine character, and the guitarist Manuel Valencia at the helm. Two heritage sites: the Alcázar and the cante of today and of all time."
The cycle will end on September 16th Jerezanias, with which the Biennial brings together three great sagas of cante Jerez natives: the Zambo, the Agujetas and the Malena families, represented by Luis El Zambo, Dolores Agujetas and Antonio de la Malena. Three families with their own distinct origins: the Santiago neighborhood, the Plazuela district, and the undeniable link between Jerez and Lebrija. Artists who base their cante in the experiences and which represent, each with its own imprint, a profoundly Gypsy aesthetic that is passed down from generation to generation.
Luis El Zambo belongs to one of the most distinguished lineages of flamenco From Jerez, related to the Parrilla, Terremoto, or Sordera families. Formed through oral tradition and part of the last generation of flamenco singers who learned by listening to their elders, their latest work, 'Directo en el Círculo' (Live at the Circle) Flamenco 'de Madrid' (2026), has been nominated for best album Flamenco by the Spanish Academy of Music. Dolores AgujetasThe eldest daughter of Manuel Agujetas El Grande, she inherited the black sounds of her lineage in the forge and at family parties, and crystallized them in records such as Daughter of the goblin (2000) o Womanhood (2009), the latter awarded by national critics and turned into a successful touring show. Antonio de la Malena, son of La Malena and custodian of the deepest tradition of cante Born in Jerez, he appeared at the age of nine in the legendary TVE series Rite and geography of cante By the age of seventeen, he was already sharing the stage with CamarónFernanda de Utrera or Terremoto.
The show, directed by Manuel valenciaGiraldillo Revelation of the Biennial in 2014 and one of the great exponents of the new style of Jerez guitar, features Manuel Salado as second guitarist and the palmas Javier Peña and Juan Diego Valencia. The special collaboration of Las Tatas de Jerez, guardians of the essence of the bulerías festival, will bring to a close a night in which the Alcázar and the cante Gypsy culture will merge like two heritages of the same land. ♦
