Miguel Poveda keeps his promise at Cante de Las Minas

This concert sold out weeks ago as Poveda returned after his bronchitis last year

The first gala night of the Cante de las Minas Festival in La Unión saw the fulfilment of a promise by Miguel Poveda to return after bronchitis curtailed his gala performance last year during the festival celebrating the 20th anniversary of his own success in winning the coveted Lámpara Minera.
Poveda talked emotionally during his performance of that August night 21 years ago, when he walked into the Catedral del Cante as an unknown and left with a glittering career ahead of him, now one of the most popular stars on the flamenco circuit, delivering intense and yet commercially acceptable flamenco to a wide audience.

His technical control is astonishing and his ability to improvise legendary, delivering a broad spectrum of cantes de levante con minera y levantica, campiñas, bulerías de Cádiz, martinets, soleás, mineras, abandolaos, tientos, tangos, fandangos and malagueñas, accompanied by Chicuelo on guitar, Carlos Grilo and Miguel Ángel Soto Londro on palmas, along with Paquito González on percussion.

One of the most memorable moments was when he dedicated a soleá to his father, born in La Paca, Lorca, who accompanied him to La Unión when he first won his miner’s lamp in 1993, along with his mother who was present at the concert last night, although he made an instant impact by pretending he was once again laid low by bronchitis, a playful empathy which continued with a frisky tango de triana.

Tickets for this concert had sold out weeks ago, Poveda considered to be part of the La Unión landscape, named a Hijo Adoptivo de La Unión,( adopted son of La Unión), and no-one left the Cathderal del Cante disappointed after a night of superb and empathetic music.

More to come; Click Cante de las Minas 2014