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Poetry in Music

The primitive strains of the Flamenco will come alive as guitarist Pedro Soler performs in Coimbatore

Alliance Française of Madras in collaboration with the Embassy of France and the Park's Other Festival will be presenting a performance by Flamenco guitarist, Pedro Soler. G.V Centre For Performing Arts brings the performance to Coimbatore on 11 December, 2005 at 7 p.m. at the Nani Auditorium, Mani Higher Secondary School, P.N Palayam.

Flamenco music goes back a long way. It is music, songs and dances originating in ancient Andalusia and its chants, folksongs and lullabies. It is steeped in certain Byzantine, Arabian, Spanish and Indian influences and is a perfect example of the East meeting the West.

There is no written tradition of Flamenco music and Pedro Soler was introduced to it when he started playing guitar with exiled refugees from Andalusia who had come to Toulouse after the Spanish Civil War.

He received training from masters of Flamenco like Pepe de Badajoz and Perico del Lunar. Soler impressed his masters with his instinctive understanding and instinct for Flamenco. Singer Jacinto Alamaden, also recognising this, introduced him to the jealously guarded secrets of ancient Flamenco songs. In time Soler was accompanying other famous singers and Flamenco dancers on his guitar. Soler was awarded the Prix International du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy in 1964, and the Great prize of the German Record in 1980

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