Sunday, July 13, 2014

Flamenco


1972

I took this picture at a performance presented by a Spanish cultural ensemble whose name I do not recollect, at the Museum Theatre in Chennai. The performances were so liked and applauded that an encore of all items was presented at Music Academy the next day

I did not have much photographic equipment. My Minolta SLR had a telephoto 60-150 zoom lens, to keep which steady I inserted it with the camera body between two seats. The probable exposure was f1/16 at 1 second. I held my breath, expecting nothing, but somehow got two-three pictures which I bandied around in exhibitions in and outside the country. Like me, of course, the photograph has aged much.


Many people associate flamenco with the opera Carmen, although the opera was written by a Frenchman, Georges Bizet. The story of Carmen was based on a novella by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed in 1875. The subject matter was daring and controversial for the time: 

A soldier, who is upright and unworldly, is seduced by a Gypsy cigarette girl – a worker in a cigarette factory, Carmen. He is so besotted with her that he abandons his sweetheart and disgraces himself by deserting from the army. After he has lost everything, Carmen mocks him, and leaves him for a toreador, Escamillo. Finally the soldier, José, is in such a state of rage and despair that he stabs Carmen to death.

Bizet used Spanish musical themes for Carmen, including flamenco tunes. One of the most famous scenes in the opera is the Habanera:




As an aside, for those who are familiar with the music and the universality of the theme of unrequited love leading to the tragedy of murder, not only in Spain but in France and in Hollywood, and definitely in India and elsewhere, Carmen has taken many incarnations in theatre as well as in the form of cinema. Among the best known and award-winning ones are Carmen Jones, with a black American cast including Harry Belafonte; and Carmen in flamenco style, made by Carlos Saura. Those who have been patient with me thus far would find the rest.

1 comment:

Hemantha Kumar Pamarthy said...

...Dilwalon ki duniya mein, hai rasm ke jab koi
Dilwalon ki duniya mein, hai rasm ke jab koi
Aaye toh kadam lena
Jaye toh dua dena
Jaye toh dua dena

Mushkil hai bahut mushkil
Chahat ka bhula dena
Chahat ka bhula dena
Mushkil hai bahut mushkil...