Andrés Barrios, Sandra Carrasco, David de Arahal and Carmen La Talegona. Four representative artists of the flamenco current, with brilliant artistic careers separately, come together in this work, The magnificent –a title that takes away from them the strength that humility gives, and which they surely treasure–, opening the IV Festival Flamenco of Merida at the Maria Luisa Theater.
On stage and opening the work, the subtlety of the piano of Andres Barrios (Utrera, 1997) with that ability to radiate joy and light constantly. Trained at the prestigious Bonifacio Gil Conservatory in Badajoz, the Utrera native can now say loud and clear that he has fulfilled the dream he confided in me years ago in an interview: “What I would most like is to travel with my music”. Now, your keyboard, classic and flamenco, is the one who allows us to do it while he accompanies us on the journey marking the beat on the lid of his piano.
After this first contact with wisdom, the entire cast appears before an audience more eager to participate than to listen.
And it had to be done. Because David of Arahal (Arahal, Seville, 2000) deserved it. A guitar, without those annoying effects that strip the honesty from the six strings, deserved a depth that could bring out its full potential. The one who was awarded last year as a new talent at the IX International Music Awards Flamenco Manolo Sanlúcar has managed to reap the rewards of the great artists with whom he has collaborated, giving importance to what matters. And I assure you, it's not that easy or that common. That guitar He put forward elegance, melodic exquisiteness and whispering strums in a work that, in itself, makes no sense. Arahal's humility managed to place those necessary elements in the Eucharist of the flamenco as is silence, because the solemnity of art is always filled with untimely olés. And there were some.
«Sandra Carrasco, who oscillates with her cante and manners between Marchena and Morente, occupies the stage as if floating. With that carefree air, but with that flamenco in the throat of the one who always seems to approach like a child. Like Alice in Wonderland. With curiosity, freedom, and debauchery.
Appears on the scene Sandra Carrasco (Huelva, 1981) like a fairy. The Huelva native, who oscillates with her cante and manners between Marchena and Morente, occupies the stage as if floating. With that carefree air, but with that flamenco in the throat of the one who always seems to approach like a child. Like Alice in Wonderland. With curiosity, freedom, and debauchery. Because that is also the way to cement one's own path. To sing with a full mouth what is born, not what is expected, although among so much theatricality and intoxicated emotion, more would be missed. cantes by right. “I am like gold, the more they despise me, the more courage I gain…”, tangos, boleros and the invitation to The Maqui to share a sevillana. Of course, Carrasco's fandangos reminded us of what we'd come for: embroidery and nailing, because Sandra's voice is capable of whatever she wants to do with it.
Carmen La Talegona captivated with a dance that was well-defined in both form and substance. And, above all, she exuded confidence on stage. As if those little bags of coins, held together with safety pins by her family at the market, were what defined her timing. A true dance for a show that, as I said, failed to find something as essential as the artistic reason.
The compass and cante from Extremadura pablo moreno y Juan Diego Valencia Top-notch. Brimming with honesty and enthusiasm, they know how to perform on stage. It's no wonder they're highly sought-after artists among the greats. Magnificent for their virtuosity and also for remaining in the background, without which the foreground would suffer.
It's a shame that the audience didn't fill the María Luisa Theater, but It is already known that the flamenco It is a choice, not an imposition. There will be more opportunities until November 8th.
Credits
The Magnificent Ones, by Sandra Carrasco, Carmen La Talegona, Andrés Barrios and David de Arahal
IV Festival Flamenco of Merida
María Luisa Theater, Mérida
18 October 2025
Cante: Sandra Carrasco
Piano: Andrés Barrios
Dance: Carmen La Talegona
Guitar: David de Arahal
Compass and cante: Pablo Moreno and Juan Diego Valencia
