The flamenco show industry is celebrating the news that have spread like wildfire in this community: Candela will open again. This legendary tablao in Madrid closed its doors in January 2022. One year later it will reopen — although there is no specific date yet — thanks to the efforts of the Argentine group Fayer, the new owners if this venue. This is what three partners in this project — Alejandro Pitashny, Diego Papo Kling and Martin Loeb — have told the El periódico de España newspaper, in an article published by David López Frías.

When the new owners entered this venue for the first time, they could smell the nostalgy, seeing that everything had been left exactly as in the last night when flamenco reverberated in its walls. There was a purse left behind and a glass of whiskey with the liquid almost fully evaporated.

«It seemed as if time had stopped that night. When I entered the venue for the first time, I could feel the magic of the place. This venue has been touched by the greatest flamenco artists, such as Paco de Lucía and Camarón. People who have won Grammy Awards such as Antonio Carmona have recorded here. This is a place that a lover of culture and flamenco such as me can only admire. The first thing that crossed my mind was that I was buying 40 years of Spanish history», expressed Alejandro Pitashny to the aforementioned newspaper.

The decision to rescue Candela took 5 minutes, as told by Pitashny, who got a call from his partner Diego Papo Kling: «For you who love flamenco, I have a venue that will delight you. As I understand, this place was [iconic] for both flamenco and for the Movida Madrileña movement, they lived together in harmony». Alejandro Pitashny mentions that he did not even need to see the venue, as he felt a responsibility to rescue this place’s legacy, preserving and developing it.

 

«Candela will be a high-quality, democratic venue where everyone is welcome, with a lot of love for music and respect for the flamenco genre. At this stage we are documenting everything that took place there»

Asked about their plans for this venue, they made clear that their goal is to preserve and take care of this legendary brand. «[We seek to] take care of the past, work with the present and develop the future of a cultural venue that is iconic in the world of music, particularly flamenco, which is part of Spain’s identity», asserted Pitashny.

They want to preserve the legacy of Miguelito Candela, the former owner, although without copying it, because this is a different era. One thing is certain: Candela will not lack quality and magic, in the words of its new owners.

«All I can say is that Candela will be a high-quality, democratic venue where everyone is welcome, with a lot of love for music and respect for the flamenco genre. At this stage we are documenting everything that took place there, so we can do the things as we like to do them. This is an observation stage, so we can see how we can reinsert Candela in today’s Madrid», stated Pitashny.

«Candela used to stay open until very late at night. In our case, we seek to turn it into a cultural reference for flamenco and also for other musical genres. What we want is [a place where] musicians can express their talent in a small venue. It is a place where great artists performed and formed their bands. This is what we want to do, but adapting it to the present time», continued the owner.

After concluding the current documentation stage, a creative board will be created with the purpose of discussing and deciding how to finish the project. «The important thing now is that Candela has been rescued, this will not change. We are open to listening to many people, both to hear their stories and to hear how they would like this venue to evolve», concluded Pitashny.