There will always be musicians and creative artists who will challenge the structure of traditions and revolutionize the art form. Not least Germán Cornejo’s ‘Wild Tango’, or Cuban folk music, which was transformed in New York into the ever popular ‘Salsa’, and, of course, the creation of a diaspora of dance and musical interpretations of traditional Flamenco.
On the final day of the Flamenco Festival 2022, the Cervantes Theatre lit up to the sounds of the Pasión del Sur Ensemble, formed by siblings Irene and her brother José Francisco Ortega, from Cartagena, Murcia, in Spain, who played cello and guitar respectively. This unusual combination of instruments arises from their desire to push the boundaries of the instrumental interpretation of Flamenco music, to revalue and reassess its beauty and bring it to an ever-larger audience.
Irene Ortega
The cello was expertly played by Irene Ortega, international concert cellist, composer, and cultural promoter. She was initially trained at the Superior Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid and went on to obtain a distinction at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has performed with many orchestras, including the City of London Sinfonia, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Madrid, the Royal Academy of Music Orchestra and the Cammerata of Murcia. She has received a number of prestigious awards all over Europe, such as the First Absolute Prize in the XVII Etruscan Rover Competition in Priobino, in Italy.
the ensemble Pasión del Sur
Virtuoso guitarist José Francisco Ortega is also a composer and professor. Classically trained, he excels in his chosen instrument. While still a child, he was initiated into Flamenco by Antonio Piñana (son). He completed his studies at the Superior Conservatory of Music, ‘Manuel Massotti Littel’ in Murcia, with the brother Carlos and Curro Piñana and also performs as accompanist professor to dancers at the Dance Conservatory in Murcia.
The Ortega siblings Irene, and her brother, José Francisco, share a profound passion for the music of their roots. So it was that they developed this unusual and original combination of cello with flamenco guitar, where the cello becomes the emotive voice, creating its own individual character and timbre, creating a combination that can be described as a Flamenco Chamber Music to the beat and accompaniment of the virtuoso guitar.
The siblings are both young and enthusiastic and this comes across as they clearly enjoy the experience, transmitting that feeling to the whole audience. The freshness and the novelty open channels one had not thought possible in this musical form, so it is very original and unusual, being both true to the form and totally revolutionizing it at the same time. Their repertoire encompasses arrangements of many popular and much-loved forms, from Soleares, Tangos, Rumbas, Malagueñas, Mineras, Tarantas to Fandangos, not to mention the various original numbers that they have composed themselves.
Their objective is to take this music all over the world, to open a new way of enjoying it with this intimate format. As Irene Ortega expressed at their concert at the Cervantes Theatre, on the last night of the Flamenco Festival 2022, there is a special magic to playing at smaller venues, where the musicians can interact with the audience more closely.
For more info and sounds tracks https://irene-ortega.es
