The best festivals offer up performances that surprise you. Things you’ve never imagined. They re-introduce you to an artist you know for one thing, only to reveal another side of their talent. This is my Cervantino Journal #4.
Thursday, October 15th I saw Arturo Chacón-Cruz y el Mariachi Gama 1000 perform 100 Años de José Alfredo at Alhondiga.
One might ask, who was José Alfredo Jiménez? He was an actor and singer-songwriter who was born in the state of Guanajuato. He wrote over 1,000 songs.
Those songs are beloved here in Mexico. Just ask the audience at this show which was as much a sing-along as it was a concert.
As for the singer, Chacón-Cruz is an opera singer, a tenor to be more exact, whom I have seen in multiple productions at Los Angeles Opera. Notably I saw him make his role debut as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth. I also saw him in La Traviata and Florencia en el Amazonas. Who knew he had a passion for this music?
The passion came through loud and clear during this 80-minute performance. There was so much joy coming from the stage. Not just from Chacón-Cruz, but also from each musician in el Mariachi Gama 1000.
On a personal level, I had a full-circle moment. The first time I came to Guanajuato I went to a small bar called El Beso de Ana. The bar was empty except for my then-boyfriend (now husband) Alex and a gentleman kindly referred to as The Professor. He sang and played guitar.
Alex and the Professor sang Cielito Lindo together that night. When Chacón-Cruz chose that for their encore it was just a very special moment for me. And Alex, of course, sang right along just as he had done all those years ago.
Los Angeles Opera should invite Chacón-Cruz to bring this show to LA at some point.
Friday, October 16th I saw two shows that couldn’t have been more different.
Théo Mercier & François Chaignaud’s Radio Vinci Park was performed on two levels of a parking structure. The performance began with a woman playing Baroque music on a harpsichord. It was so windy she had two gentlemen on either side of her holding down the music she was playing.
I’ve played the piano outdoors, but have never faced the conditions she did. But if I had, I would have enjoyed having two guys holding down my music.
We were then moved one level up to a space that had a mysterious figure, all in black, on a black motorcycle. We couldn’t see his face as he wore a helmet. Rain was falling and the winds were howling. (That wasn’t part of the show, that was Mother Nature.)
Another mysterious figure showed up in heels, with white make-up on their face, accessories that rattled when shaken on their arms and legs. Their blond hair was fixed in a quasi-Princess Leia style.
They moved about the structure in various ways including walking and dancing. All we heard for a short time were occasional shouts as if to surprise or shock someone. Over time this figure got gradually closer to the motorcyclist.
It played as both a seduction and an exploration of who – or what – the motorcyclist might be.
Occasionally the mysterious figure would break out into song.
They vacillated between using both falsetto and more of a baritone voice and were accompanied by the harpsichordist.
This dance between the seducer and the object of their affection started to take darker turns. I interpreted this to be a study of power dynamics between the two.
Ultimately the motorcyclist revved up the bike and used his vehicle to perform almost as if a bullfighter toying with an animal. The drama of this moment was intensified by the falling rain.
That rain didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the show. I didn’t see a single person leave because of the weather. That’s how compelling this show was.
An hour later I went to see Portuguese singer LINA_ perform Fado Camões – songs set the verses of 16th century Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões. She was accompanied by Justin Adams who played keyboards.
She has a beautiful voice and the songs were equally enchanting.
The rain was continuing.
Though we had a covering overhead, I was getting very cold and had already been wet from Radio Vinci Park. So I left before the show was over.
Good thing! I didn’t make it home before this section of town was hit with a blackout. I don’t know if that interrupted LINA_’s show. Hopefully they had a generator or two there to make sure the show would still go on.
On Saturday, October 17th, I began by seeing a VR presentation by Novaya entitled Noire. It examined the story of 15-year-old Black girl Claudette Colvin.
I didn’t know who she was before this powerful immersive experience. She was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama on March 2, 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white woman. Keep in mind this was nine months before Rosa Parks became far more celebrated for doing the same thing.
Why did Colvin not become the hero that Parks did? There were likely a lot of reasons and Noire suggests a few of them.
Novaya beautifully lays out her story with film clips, narration, digital imagery and music. One of the most powerful moments came with the use of Strange Fruit by Nina Simone.
I teared up a couple times during Noire. Man’s inhumanity to man continues to sadden me.
Ms. Colvin passed away earlier this year.
As this was a VR experience, I don’t have any images to share.
As soon as I left Noire, I made a beeline to Plaza Allende to watch Gratte Ciel’s stunning RoZéo.
Three aerialists ascended three poles and got into harnesses atop them. They unfolded the costumes they had to cover those harnesses.
Once they were in place, I started hearing hushed tones over the PA system. A young woman walked amongst the contraptions supporting the poles and made her way to an electric guitar. She started playing the guitar with a bow. She would ultimately be the one-woman band accompanying the performance.
Imagine whirling dervishes on top of these poles and you’ll have a bit of an idea what we saw.
Better yet, watch this video because words can’t do this justice.
Earlier in the performance, all three were given wooden rods to hold while performing. I immediately imagined them as the Valkyries from Wagner’s Die Walküre, preparing for their famous ride.. If you don’t recognize the reference, you’d certainly recognize the music. You can hear it HERE.
They weren’t always twirling and swaying. Equally impressive was their ability to keep the poles still during quieter moments.
At times I felt like each of the aerialists (two women and one man) were exorcising some demons during the performance.
The finale found all three unfurling giant pieces of thin plastic sheets that would fly with them and, at times, envelop them.
That morning had been quite windy. I’m grateful those winds died down so the hundreds of people and me could enjoy this show.
Amazingly, they did a second performance that evening and are scheduled to do two more today.
I liked it so much, I just might go see it again at their final performance.
Main Photo: One of the aerialists of Gratte Ciel’s RoZéo.
All Photos by Craig L. Byrd