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| Spain. Flamenco. Argentina. Tango. Famous poetry from exile translated to music. This is the nutshell concept for Poemas del Exilio. To begin with, we need to mention the poetry's author - Rafael Alberti. This expatriate Spaniard spent 35 years in Argentinean and another 15 in Italian exile due to his affiliation with the Communist Party and the Alliance of Intellectual Antifascists during the Civil War. He was later awarded the honorary presidency together with Dolores Ibárruri in the first Democratic Parliament and holds many literary prizes such as the National on Literature, the Lenin on Peace, the National on Theatre and the Cervantes on Literature. He returned to Spain on April 27, 1977 and is recorded to have deplaned with the words "`I went away with my fist clenched and now I return with my hand open as a sign of harmony among the Spanish." Enric Palomar Polo is the Barcelona Music Conservatory pupil of Benet Casablancas, Joan Albert Amargós, Mario Lecaros and Lluis Vergés and recipient of numerous chamber music commissions as well as the collaborateur/arranger of works like El Guitarrista Azul and De Mis Soledades Vengo | Los Clássicos Y El Flamenco which premiered at the Royal Theatre of Madrid with José Menese and Ginesa Ortega and Songs by Pedro Guerra performed by Miguel Poveda during the Grec Festival 2000. |
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Miguel Poveda burst onto the Flamenco song scene in 1993 when he won four prizes at the Festival de Cante de Las Minas de La Unión including the grand prize, the Miner's Lamp. He's been on a steady ascent since and is considered one of the brightest male singers of the genre. Uniquely, the present live recording does not employ him in a Flamenco Puro style even though the entire score for solo vocals and chamber ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, 2 French horns, trumpet, trombone, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, bandoneon, piano and percussion) deliberately and in portions relies on Flamenco palos such as tanguillos (Gypsy tangos) and solea por bulerias, then very craftily juxtaposes those with South-American milongas led by the bandoneon and symphonic interludes with Hispanic themes such as you'd see them in a De Falla piece or Vicente Amigo's Poetas. Stylistically, Poemas del Exilio is a modern romantic tone poem which even injects Jazz riffs such as those performed by Pablo Martín on "Huele a sangre". The twin percussionists are clearly versed in Flamenco compas which gives the quasi-symphonic setting of paralleled oboe d'amor and bass clarinet solos, muted trumpets and densely chromatic piano rumblings a very modern WorldBeat flavor, all of which is in the service of young Miguel's strongly emotive vocals perfectly adapted to the angular, not consonant yet very moody 1-hour score. As one expects from Harmonia Mundi, the mastering values are high to make Poemas both an audiophile and musical feast of high class and interest that rides on the charged high voice of Miguel Poveda which shifts from breaking, jubilating, doubting and assaulting to sublimating, smoldering, scorching and balladeering on a dime and thus retains the raw spirit of Flamenco without ever relying on guitar or that nearly atonal crying of the deepest Flamenco Jondo. The sneaky sightings of Carlos Morera's bandoneon make for unexpected twists and the concluding "Nana de la Cigüeña" duet with Miquel Villalba's piano is something else altogether. In toto, this is a multisensory, multi-dimensional event that puts to crying shame nearly everything on the Top 25 lists. Most highly recommended for all you sophisticates out there! |
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