English
If there´s a passion which sparks the most phlegmatic of people that would be flamenco. That mix of music, gypsy and moorish dancing which was considered Immaterial Cultural World Heritage by UNESCO in 2010, is going to delight us from the 8th until the 31st of December at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, with the show ´Gran Gala de Flamenco´ (Great Gala of Flamenco).
This show of international dimensions, traps the spectator in nostalgia and passion of a music and a rhythm which is about cadence and harmony. One of the attractions of this staging is that it represents a new generation of artists who, like their predecessors, mark the different expressions of flamenco with stamp dancing. For this particular gala, they will present shows of Fandango, Seguidilla, Farruca, Guajira, Soleá by Bulerías and Alegrías.
Flamenco was born in Andalucía in the 18th century. Despite its origins coming from the passionate discussion between musicians, anthropologists, historians and even the Spanish Royal Academy of Language, which defines it as gypsy origin, the majority lean towards the thesis of cross-breeding and the conjunction of Andalucian culture with Arabic, Muslim, Christian, Gypsy and Jewish cultures.
According to Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas, the flamenco voice comes from the Andalucian expression ´fellah min gueir ard´, which means ´peasants without land´. This denomination was given to the many moors who integrated to gypsy communities, with whom they shared social exclusion, an exclusion for belonging to rejected ethnic groups, and from that encounter flamenco originated, which was a freedom song against the attempt of cultural annihilation. Despite this theory being an interesting one, what´s true is that it doesn´t have any scientific proof based on documentation or oral memory compilation.
Flamenco has three faces: ´cante´ (song), ´toque´ (touch), and ´baile´ (dance). There are different variants of flamenco which are related with its origin and the expressions which derive from ´canto´, ´toque´ and ´baile´. One of them is ´farruca´, and its peculiarity is the cadence which clear reminiscence of Cadiz and melancholic songs. The dancing is manly with stamping, which shows that a ´macho´ with dominant attitudes is who who dominates the stage. However, he debates himself in that existential melancholy of his culture.
Another type of flamenco is ´Fandango´, which is said to derive from the Portuguese word ´fado´, which designates a local type of dancing and music. This expression is more free and ludic, and it´s a ballad song which has four octosyllabic verses, which become more quite often due to its repetition. It´s recognized as one of the oldest styles of flamenco, although now it´s adapted to the tastes and the agenda of the more contemporary artists.
´Soleá by Bulerías´ is more cheerful. It´s a song with its origin in Jerez and with a very festive and danceable melody. Performers such as Enrique Morente and Juan José Amador, among others, have immortalized these sounds.
There are also the ´Seguidillas´, a type of Spanish singing accompanied by castanets, mandolins, guitars and lutes, in a rhythm of 3/4 or 3/8, of which other rhythms such as ´fandango´ and ´bolero´ derive from.
For more information: https://vendaentrades.palaumusica.org/SeleccionZonas.asp?Temporada=2011&Ciclo=OF&Funcion=01&Idioma=cat
A great idea to have fun this end of year and not think of what´s coming in 2012 is to spend a few days of infinite pleasure in apartments in Barcelona Also, you can book your tickets to see this flamenco show and fill up with gypsy passion. I cannot recommend it enough.
Translated by: aleixgwilliam
