After hosting the Amalgam Cycle, the Royal Artillery Factory (Seville) joins the spaces of the XXIV Biennial of Flamenco to host the world premieres of several of the shows in its program. The building, one of the city's most imposing and unique heritage structures, will be the stage for the creations that will be presented Ana Morales on September 13th and 14th, Rhapsody. Underground Fantasy, and Pablo Martín Caminero, which will be staged on September 22, 23 and 24 Trilogy, a proposal that frames three pieces around the cante, the touch and the dance.
The Delegate for Tourism and Culture of the Seville City Council, Angie MorenoHe highlighted the inclusion of the Royal Artillery Factory in the Biennial's program as "a natural step in the process of consolidating this space as one of the city's major cultural hubs." In this regard, he recalled that "following the excellent reception of the Amalgam Cycle"It is reopening to this universal art, reinforcing its role as a place for contemporary creation and dialogue between tradition and innovation."
He also emphasized that “the Royal Artillery Factory is proving to be much more than a restored heritage site: it is a vibrant place where culture is taking root and fostering community.” “This is what the residents of San Bernardo and Nervión themselves tell us; they already feel a sense of ownership over this site and come by asking about the daily program. This connection with the surrounding area is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of this project.”
Finally, he pointed out that “the presence of the Biennial in this space not only expands the festival's scope, but also allows us to explore new formats and experiences in a unique environment, capable of hosting large-scale proposals and, at the same time, promoting artistic experimentation.”
For his part, the director of the Biennial, Luis YbarraShe stated that “this is one of the major new features of this edition. A space with a vocation for avant-garde and creation that is being incorporated into the artistic circuit not only of the Biennial, but also of the city.” In that regard, she added that “in addition to an intense parallel program that we will announce in due course, Artillería brings together a series of dance and instrumental pieces conceived from that perspective. On the one hand, a premiere by Ana Morales, National Dance Prize winner, for whom a work naturally emerged that had to be told from the underground and, of course, from Seville, since the piece begins in 16th-century passageways to take us into another realm. On the other hand, we will enjoy for the first time over three consecutive days Pablo Martín Caminero's trilogy in trio format. First, Right nowwhere sublime pieces like Alcazar of Seville o Birth de Manolo Sanlucar they take on a jazzy tone and jondo on the double bass. On the other hand, To the dance, a premiere that has the support of Maria Moreno. And finally, Al Cantewhere the trio from Vitoria joins with the heart-wrenching echo of David Carpio"From Jerez, to cause mischief." "I think it's a great opportunity for Seville to see an exceptional musician, who isn't programmed very often in Andalusia, in these three shows that are like artillery cannons," he concluded.
Rhapsody. Underground FantasyAna Morales's new creation is structured as an Orphic journey that descends to 16th and 17th century Seville through the free form of the rhapsody and features the musical direction of Elche Niño, the flamenco guitar of Manolo Franco and the saxophone and electronics of José VendettiIn the piece, the discovery of an underground passageway opens the door to another time, a labyrinthine space where loss becomes the catalyst for fantasy and the driving force of the stage action. In this journey, texts by Saint John of the Cross and music from the Sevillian Renaissance intertwine with sounds that evoke a New World, generating a constant tension between the mystical and the pagan, between the ancient and the emerging.
"The Royal Artillery Factory is proving to be much more than a restored heritage site: it is a living place, where culture is taking root and generating community. This is what the residents of San Bernardo and Nervión themselves tell us, as they already feel this enclave as something of their own and approach us asking about the daily program" (Angie Moreno)
True to a trajectory marked by the search for new languages within the flamencoMorales constructs here a choreographic device where gesture opens itself to the telluric and the visceral. Her training in contemporary dance and flamencoHis inclination towards improvisation as the seed of movement, as well as his inclination towards it, translates into a piece that explores the limits between desire and constraint, submission and liberation. The descent into the underworld is thus revealed as a metaphor for the creative process itself: an exploration towards the origin, towards the earth, where the flamenco finds new resonances without losing its roots.
The intensity, elegance, and stage presence that define the artist, recipient of the 2022 National Dance Award, permeate this work, which continues the lines of research developed in previous pieces. Thus, in Rhapsody. Underground FantasyAna Morales reaffirms a unique choreographic voice, capable of engaging with tradition from a profoundly contemporary perspective and transforming the stage into a space of transformation and discovery.
For his part, double bassist and composer Pablo Martín Caminero presents an ambitious program in this edition Trilogy which unfolds over three consecutive days and addresses, from a personal perspective, the three pillars of flamenco: the touch, the cante and dance. Far from being conceived as a closed project from its inception, this proposal arises, in his own words, from a natural evolution: “After five albums dedicated to my own compositions [...“I felt the need to make a covers album,” an impulse that would end up opening up a much wider creative path.
The first delivery, Trilogy. At a glance. (September 22), part of a reinterpretation of a repertoire linked to flamenco guitar (especially to the figure of Gerardo Núñez) from an unusual format: a trio without guitar, made up of piano and percussion. “I wanted a trio made up of an improvisational pianist and a percussionist flamenco“Caminero explains about this project, which marks the starting point of an exploration where the language of jazz becomes a vehicle for dialogue with flamenco tradition. Trilogy. To cante (September 23), the focus shifts to the voice, with the collaboration of the Jerez-born flamenco singer David CarpioWhat was initially intended as a one-off participation ended up becoming a deeper involvement: “After playing together [...I realized that we needed to delve deeper.” The result is an organic integration between the cante and Caminero's compositions, which, as he says, acquire "a new dimension" within this jazz-rooted trio format.
The closing comes with Trilogy. To the dance (September 24), alongside the flamenco dancer Maria Moreno, the musician's usual accomplice. This third point completes the journey and responds to an idea that, although it arose "almost as a joke", ended up consolidating the project: to address the flamenco from its three fundamental axes. “The possibility was too tempting,” acknowledges Caminero, who finds in dance a new space to expand his musical language in dialogue with movement.
With this trilogy, Pablo Martín Caminero, a musician trained at the Vienna University of Music and with a career marked by versatility and the crossing of styles, proposes “a way of looking at flamenco “From a format I know,” that of the trio, “which gives me freedom and with which I feel safe to approach a music I respect so much.” The result is a coherent and expanding project that builds bridges between jazz and flamenco, through listening, experimentation, and a deep understanding of both languages. ♦
