Pasión Vega (Madrid, 1976) wanted to delve into Lorca's musical roots by reinterpreting some of his most famous poems (The legend of time, La tarara, Romance de la pena negra, Little Viennese waltz...). And in a double way: with a stage concert as part of the Lorca sound tour and with an album of the same title that appeared a month ago.
Today, Friday, the singer presents them at the Palau de la Música (9:00 p.m.) as part of the Guitar Bcn festival. La Vanguardia subscribers have a 15% discount on the price of tickets, provided they are purchased at Entradas de Vanguardia.
Catalan fans have seen and enjoyed it often and in various formats, one of the most memorable when thirteen or fourteen years ago a brief series of concerts on Catalan stages where he collaborated closely with the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallés with a repertoire by Manuel de Falla .
Who is easier to deal with, Falla or Lorca?
Lorca is closer to me, from the outset because it has more texts. I have always been interested at an interpretive level in what I am telling, the character behind a story, if there is one. So at that level Federico seems closer and more natural to me.
How was the Lorca sound project born?
Throughout my career Lorca has been there. In his day I collaborated with the bailaora Rocío Molina, with whom we did a piece by Federico; then in some of my concerts I had rescued La tarara; and also another show called Dos pianos con Pasión and that I did with two classical pianists from Malaga where we played some of their popular songs. In 2019 they asked me for a collaboration to do it on August 18 for a tribute to the victims of the Civil War through the figure of Federico. It was only a few minutes, in a park in Alfacar, near where it is believed that he was murdered. I took poems already set to music in song form, like Javier Ruibal's in Por tu amor me duele el aire, or Leonard Cohen's in Little Viennese Waltz... for me it was a gift to be able to write those songs. I gathered six songs for that half hour that they had given me and I also introduced some poems and some texts where the poet Juan José Téllez helped me. Already in that act we introduced poetry and music, adding poems and texts of his by Lorca.
Which it was the result?
Good, but that night I was very thoughtful, and also the days after, because I saw that magic had taken place there, something very special. There had been such emotion in that act that I realized that I had to rescue more songs. I spoke with my musical director, Jacob Sureda, and told him that we are going to work on some songs, and we'll see if we record them or not. And I also really liked the concept and the naturalness with which we had worked on those songs up to that moment, that is, we sat down at the piano and voice, then we decided to make a piano, double bass and percussion base and we worked on it.
Did you already know that there would be like two formats?
What I was very clear about was taking it live and mixing texts and songs, that is, putting on a theatrical concert. Rather, the album is focused on that live performance, it would be like a soundtrack for that live performance. But from the moment I chose the songs I already imagined the scenes, and it was also at that moment that I realized that I needed someone to bring all this to the stage and in this case it is Ana López Segovia, who acts as stage director and dramaturgy, who has placed all the texts, thought images, songs and scenes that we had in mind.
What do you see and hear on stage?
I think that the feeling that the public sometimes feels when they see the concert is that they are looking through a tiny peephole at something very intimate and very deep. And on the other hand, there is a dialogue between those texts because the actor Víctor Clavijo is with me on stage, who interprets, tells, recites and even acts with different characters. On stage there will also be three musicians, Jacob Sureda on piano, percussion and double bass.
What idea did you have when giving musical tone to each of Lorca's texts?
I think the common thread is given by the sound that having that trio base gives throughout the concert and the album, since they are the same musicians. But then each arrangement of the songs is a different world; For example, I wanted to transfer that trip that Federico made to Cuba, coming from New York, knowing that there he would find another light, other songs, other people. Or that Little Viennese Waltz, where I take the reference from Enrique Morente's version of Cohen's song, because it's much more flamenco but I take it to a more intimate place.
Is it a respectful, transgressive approach...?
The references are there, we have not erased them, but we wanted to make a collection of those songs, which to me particularly seem essential and completely topical, due to their themes, and also because of their roots in our culture. Without him, without his songs, today's music would not be understood.
The topicality of its theme, and also that of Lorca himself?
It always is; Lorca's own figure is an important reference point for freedom, and also for individual freedom, that of that search to love who we want to love or to think as we want, and of that respect and that communication that we have not yet achieved but which should be present. And then at a poetic level and as an author he was a very transgressive man: he spoke of a woman who was within a patriarchy, who could not escape those norms, of that woman who is always frustrated and who also needs to give meaning to her life. and to his most intimate desires, to his thoughts... And he also talks about the gypsy people, about the blacks of Harlem, about the most disadvantaged classes that do not have any type of privileges and that today we continue with those inequalities. But looking at it in its entirety I would say that this show is a celebration of his life, of his work, of all his legacy.
How do you think Lorca has been vindicated up to now as a musician?
I think less than as a poet or for his theater work. Precisely here I want to vindicate him as a musician and not only as a poet.
How would you like the one who goes to listen and see it to come out?
Thrilled with joy. He was very happy and vital: it was said that when he entered a place, 'it wasn't hot or cold, it was Federico' because he had a tremendous magnet, a lot of charisma... And I think that's also present in this live show .
You can tell that he feels doing this sound Lorca, right?
It's just that I don't do anything that I don't feel that way, although the creation process is an adventure because you don't know where you're going to end up. For me, for example, covering La leyenda del tiempo was a challenge because it doesn't generally fit into my musical style or what I had done before. But once you take the risk of taking a repertoire that is not yours and you get into it, when you get on stage it has to be mine. And it has always been so.
