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<\/p>\nPedro Mar\u00eda Pe\u00f1a is perhaps facing one of the most important moments of his career. After becoming an artistic director and producer, as well as being an accompanist, he will now debut \u201c<\/i>Paseo de las Delicias\u201d, his first show as a composer, which will be premiered on September 15 at Seville\u2019s<\/i>Bienal de Flamenco.<\/i><\/p>\n
-Q: Your whole life has been devoted to flamenco, and we could say that you\u2019ve experienced most of its aspects: accompaniment guitarist, manager, producer and musical director of your brother David Pe\u00f1a \u201cDorantes\u201d, the brilliant\u00a0bailaora<\/i>\u00a0Manuela Carrasco, the master Mario Maya, your uncle Juan Pe\u00f1a \u201cLebrijano\u201d and artists of other musical genres such as Nolasco, Deojanan\u00e1 and Las Corraleras. Why did you choose precisely this moment, after so many years, to produce your first show as a concert guitarist and to release an album with your own compositions, as well?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: Actually, my professional beginnings were as a guitarist, and all the studies and training I\u2019ve had since childhood were aimed at being able to embark on this adventure one day, so perhaps this is not that strange. My decision to focus on myself, instead of on others, came after the death of my uncle Juan Pe\u00f1a “Lebrijano\u201d, with whom I had a strong bond through my whole life, both professional and artistic, being his guitarist for the last 20 years, as well as being the musical director of his last stage and recording productions.<\/p>\n
-Q: \u201cPaseo de las delicias<\/i>\u201d. Why did you pick up that name for your first show?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: Seville, besides being the most beautiful city in the world (in my opinion), is my city, and its\u00a0Paseo de las Delicias<\/i>\u00a0(literally, \u201cBoulevard of Delights<\/i>\u201d) gathers the best of it: its light, its river, its history\u2026 It\u2019s a very romantic place, joyful and very scenic, and metaphorically speaking, that title, perfectly summarizes all I want to convey: the most important things in my humble history and my personal and professional experiences, portrayed from a positive and grateful attitude for all that has happened.<\/p>\n
-Q. What can you tell us about that show and album? What would the public find when they attend Pedro Mar\u00eda Pe\u00f1a\u2019s debut?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A. Well, I understand that it\u2019s the most important show I\u2019ve ever faced, and somehow I understand that my whole life goes with it, I couldn\u2019t say it better. For the first time, after many years, I\u2019m betting on myself, on the way I conceive guitar and flamenco. My artistic proposition, as guitarist and composer, is created with the conviction that all artists must be a world unto themselves, different from each other, with their own personalities. I\u2019m continually exploring within me, and that\u2019s what I really want to show. As a good friend of mine says, \u201cthe winner takes it all\u201d, and I add \u201call, except our own self\u201d. For this show I\u2019ll have the collaboration of the violinist Fai\u00e7al Kourrich, who is like a brother to me, and with the\u00a0cantaora<\/i>\u00a0Anabel Valencia, among other artists who will join me, who in my opinion represents the most solid and authentic future for the\u00a0cante flamenco<\/i>\u00a0that is to come.<\/p>\n
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-Q: For more than 30 years you were the producer, musical director, manager and guitarist of flamenco stars such as your uncle Juan \u201cLebrijano\u201d. How do you think all that experience has influenced your upcoming show?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: A lot, of course. I\u2019ve been fortunate to have always worked in what I like to do, so all projects I\u2019ve undertaken have had a positive influence on me. It would be impossible to be totally devoid of all that baggage in every step I take. I have a fascination for the stage, and my knowledge of scenography (and all its potential, technical and artistic), learned through all my multiple experiences, is always with me.<\/p>\n
-Q: In all the facets of flamenco where you\u2019ve been professionally involved, which one do you feel more comfortable with, and which one would you pick as your favorite?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: Without a doubt, the guitar is the instrument that allows me to express myself more naturally, and I feel more comfortable with a guitar in my hands. Yet, there are other aspects of flamenco that have been blooming within me, unknown to most flamenco aficionados: singing. I have a great passion for\u00a0cante<\/i>\u00a0and I believe it\u2019s the most important feature of this musical genre. That same passion has discovered my inner, silent voice, so I have the privilege of experiencing the joy of singing, besides playing the guitar, limited by my vocal skills, naturally, because I don\u2019t practice singing as often I practice guitar, for example. My father and master, Pedro Pe\u00f1a, was the one who instilled in me this passion for\u00a0cante<\/i>, as he did with guitar.<\/p>\n
-Q: Many people don\u2019t know that in 1986 you were awarded a prize as a guitarist at the\u00a0Festival de Jerez<\/i>. Yet, what about today\u2019s guitarist Pedro Mar\u00eda Pe\u00f1a, who is debuting his first show? What can you tell us about him?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: A lot of rain has fallen since those days\u2026 That was a very beautiful period in my life, there was nothing more important than guitar at that time. Precisely, I nowadays relate to that young man with his guitar, full of dreams and very focused in making his dreams come true. Somehow, I\u2019ve taken that path again. Yet, unlike before, today\u2019s Pedro Mar\u00eda Pe\u00f1a has lived, has being in love and experienced heartbreak, has felt the intense pain of the loss of the most special person in his life, his mother, as well as other people he has loved and admired. He has great friends and has enjoyed every good moment that was worth it. All of that necessarily is always within me, and it\u2019s reflected in my compositions and in the way I express myself.<\/p>\n
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-Q: What\u2019s your opinion about contemporary flamenco in general, and about the world of flamenco guitar, in particular?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: Flamenco artists have never had it so good as now, and that\u2019s something they deserve, due to the great worth of what they do and what they represent. Likewise, flamenco enjoys a great interest and respect outside of Spain, and it\u2019s performed in the best stages of the world. Regarding flamenco guitar, it\u2019s experiencing a very interesting and wonderful period. There are many high-level artistic propositions. Flamenco guitar has been hugely influenced by other genres and it has been taken to new heights unfathomed by our predecessors. Yet, at the same time I believe is straying away from its true essence. A flamenco guitarist, particularly if he\u2019s a soloist (as that implies having a deep knowledge), has the obligation to know flamenco really well. With the greatest respect to all my colleagues, I find a bit disturbing that most are very familiar with the last album by Pat Metheny (to name someone greatly regarded among flamenco guitarists, whom I love, of course), yet few have ever heard the\u00a0cantes<\/i>\u00a0of Marrurro, Silverio, Cagancho, Chac\u00f3n or La Andonda, to name a few of flamenco\u2019s most important creators. Frankly, I don\u2019t think anyone is interested about this, although it\u2019s true that no one requires learning anything about it, which is even more disturbing. In other genres of similar relevance and importance, such things don\u2019t happen. It\u2019s not possible to evolve with a firm step from unconsciousness, ignoring the value of our true legacy, the foundation of the basic pillars of flamenco and its greatness. Flamenco must be known in depth, even if just out of responsibility.<\/p>\n
-Q: We\u2019ve spoken about your diverse work in the world of flamenco and how you\u2019re performed a multitude of roles always involved with big stars, such as Mario Maya and Manuela Carrasco, whom you managed, or your own brother, Dorantes, with whom you worked as a promoter, director and musical producer. Yet, if you had to pick one artist, who would that be?<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: Well, without a doubt it\u2019s hard to pick one, because each person, particularly when we talk about such great artists, teaches us a lot. My brother David is an angel whom I really love and admire in a very particular way, he\u2019s a genius. Yet, perhaps for all the experiences I lived with my uncle Juan \u201cLebrijano\u201d, I\u2019d pick him, for all these years we were together and all the things I learned from him: my trade, self-respect, not to mention the many experiences we lived together and the great love and admiration that united us. He really believed in me, much more than I myself, and he would tell me that repeatedly. Accompanying him\u00a0por sole\u00e1<\/i>\u00a0or\u00a0por seguiriyas<\/i>, we would become one, I would get into a trance and I\u2019d forget about the world and about wherever we were performing. Perhaps one day, when the time is right, I\u2019ll tell all the many stories and anecdotes about him and all the memories I keep in my heart.<\/p>\n
-Q: Many thanks for your time, master. We wish you a great success in your premiere\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n
-A: You are very welcome. I\u2019ll be there, giving it all, with great excitement and very eager to enjoy that moment. It\u2019s been a pleasure.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By Juan de los Dulces<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pedro Mar\u00eda Pe\u00f1a is perhaps facing one of the most important moments of his career. After becoming an artistic director and producer, as well as being an accompanist, he will now debut \u201cPaseo de las Delicias\u201d, his first show as a composer, which will be premiered on September 15 at Seville\u2019s Bienal de Flamenco.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews"],"yoast_head":"\n