The silence and peace that reigns in the courtyard seems incredible. Unicaja Foundation Museum of Arts and Popular CustomsBecause it's located right in the heart of Malaga and surrounded by hustle and bustle. But when you cross its threshold, it's as if you've stepped back in time, and it's a true luxury to be able to enjoy the flamencoFor it is perhaps the closest thing to what this art form could have originally been. He knows this very well. Carlos Martin Ballester, director of the cycle Deep Paths of the Flamenco sponsored by the Unicaja Foundation, as this is the third year that this event has been held.
The lineup for the day was promising: the flamenco singer from Jerez. Luis Moneoaccompanied on guitar by his son Juan Manuel Moneo, heirs of a lineage with a long Flemish ancestry.
The secluded courtyard was overflowing with people, but the reverential respect for the artists soon gave rise to a magical symbiosis: a flamenco singer and a guitarist making flamenco naturally, without any loudspeakers – which is unnecessary given the magnificent acoustics of the courtyard – and with spectators predisposed to listen and let the art penetrate them to their very bones.
They began with tangos, in complete harmony, cutting with pellizco the endings of the thirds, performing some of the lyrics that Luis recorded on his last and magnificent album, Molten metal (La Droguería Music, 2024), showing us from the beginning how good his voice was, with that power that he knows how to project and, at the same time, how to contain, giving the cante what he asks for. In the tangos he remembered The Girl with the Combs, and this first cante It helped us realize that this was going to be a memorable afternoon.
They continued through Cádiz, going back and forth from the romeras to the cantiñas, saying the very well. canteWith infinite pleasure, rising powerfully and settling back into the low notes, playing with the rhythm, enjoying themselves, and showing off that complicity that father and son have just by looking at each other.
"Luis Moneo She told us that the soleá was the religion practiced in her home, so it couldn't be missing from this recital. The timeless echo of her voice conveyed a centuries-old heritage, traversing styles from Alcalá, Cádiz, and Manuel Torre with mastery and charisma.
Next, Luis Moneo She wanted to give us a wink by singing malagueñas, specifically from the TwinWith a lot of personality, this singer, while steeped in tradition, has the ability to imprint his own unique style on what he sings. He cried. cante across ayeos, it ended perfectly –few know how to finish the malagueña well– and to top it all off, he remembered Juan Breva.
She told us that the soleá was the religion practiced in her home, so it couldn't be missing from this recital. The timeless echo of her voice conveyed a centuries-old heritage, traversing styles from Alcalá, Cádiz, and Manuel Torre with mastery and charisma. Juan Manuel's accompaniment stood out for its clarity, without any desire for the spotlight. with short and appropriate falsetas, making the cante his father's.
It was almost 9 pm, we were in twilight, that inspiring moment of dusk. And Luis decided Moneo that It was a good time to delve into the complain of the siguiriya. From the went outIt already moved us. With his heart in his mouth, he made us a cante Short but profound, from the black sounds from his fellow countryman Manuel Torre until the change of the gentleman Manuel MolinaWhat sensitivity in Juan Manuel's playing! MoneoWhat a way to make us empathize, what a catharsis.
In the fandangos –Caracol, Gloria and Manuel Torre–, always without unnecessary prolongations, knowing how to control the power to convey emotion and provoke in us the pellizcoThe audience rose from their seats.
But the rhythm was missing. Being from Jerez, they couldn't leave without paying tribute to the bulería, and they did so standing, face to face, reciting short and flavorful lyrics, to finish with the Christmas ballad. Such a beautiful child de Antonio MairenaBecause that's how it came out, with truth and feeling.
We gave them a standing ovation and wouldn't let them leave. So, with great flair, they said goodbye with a delicious little pawOur suspicions were correct: we experienced an afternoon that will remain indelible in our memory.
Credits
recital of cante by Luis Moneo
Cycle Deep Paths of the Flamenco
Unicaja Foundation Museum of Arts and Popular Customs, Malaga
April 23th 2026
Capacity: Full
Cante: Luis Moneo
Guitar: Juan Manuel Moneo
