A fabulous show
José Manuel Gómez Gufi
Blanca del Rey came out to ask for greater attention to worthwhile things, and recommended that we fill the theaters with applause. Let’s see if the people in charge of cultural affairs do the same thing and recommend their people to fill the flamenco clubs.
The Corral de la Morería is the best source of good karma in Madrid, and in this year wherein they have received endless recognition (the latest being a Michelin star), they now celebrate with the debut of one of the best flamenco shows I’ve seen in my life. I know I sound over-the-top, like something from another planet. Blanca del Rey said Eduardo Guerrero reminded her of Vicente Escudero, and she nearly said she saw Dalí’s mustache in his footwork (that’s more like Picasso, whom she also mentioned). All that puts us in the avant-garde era between wars of the Ballet Russe of the twentieth century.
The dancer appeared with an impressive white suit and did a zapateado. Then, Agueda Saavedra with a long train and a shawl, dancing slowly.
Guerrero’s second suit appeared taken from a bionic Goya bull-fight, but it wasn’t that. Eduardo Guerrero is above all else, a creator, and secondly, a great musician who manages the dynamics of his heels and the groove of the group as a whole, he pushes his backup people like Jagger and Richards in the best years of the Stones. In addition to technique, he has the talent to direct a group seamlessly, on the guitar (Javier Ibáñez and Fernando Morao), and in the singing (Samara Montañez, Pilar Villar, Jesús Flores and Miguel Rosendo). The show’s line-up was complete with Fernando Soto who came on delivering rumbas, reminding us that every flamenco club of the sixties had their rumba groups, and he then proceeded to do a stratospheric version of “Te Estoy Queriendo Tanto”, which we owe to Bambino and Lola Flores, those two giants who followed parallel paths that never strayed far from the flamenco concept. But he also did wonders with a handkerchief. Relax, no pigeons came out, just passion and humor carried away by art.
Agueda Saavedra returned for alegrías with one of those flowered dresses drawn from southern psychedelia (half tradition, half Hendrix). And the band, what a band, they stayed on with Eduardo Guerrero pushing him along. Terrific guitars, great singing, everyone magnificent. The dancer didn’t have enough with the stage, and jumped onto a table in a sudden gesture, during a choreography conceived for that legendary place, and it says so in the program notes: “Throughout its history, Corrral de la Morería has created avant-garde concepts that have caused flamenco to evolve. ‘Onírico’ is my contribution”. Guerrero has ten different productions for the great theaters of the world, he was guest star of Moscow’s Bolshoi, and now he has come back to this place to dream.
Fernando Soto returned with his rumbas, featuring an anthological “Volver”, and it was so so so good, that now I don’t know if it was a Mexican version or a tango, which isn’t the same thing, “volver con la frente marchita” or “volver a tus brazos otra vez”. One way or another, this needs to be repeated. Don’t miss it.
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Photos by Paco Manzano:
