JUAN VAREA CENTENARY 1908 - 2008
JuanVarea.es
Burriana Town Council
Juan Varea Association
Tribute to Juan Varea at Cabañal
The IV Cabañal Flamenco Festival Edition, was celebrated from 17th to 20th of June, paid a tribute to Cantaor from Burriana Juan Varea, considered the best valencian expert and one of the most distinguished of last century in Flamenco.
As the director of the festival, Manuel Ramirez, informed, the main performances were played by Jesús Matías "Chozas" and Antonio Carrión (considered one of the best five spanish guitarists) and Pansequito del Puerto and Diego Amaya (guitar), that were offerred on Thrusday 19th and Friday 20th of June, respectively, at El musical Theater.
The acts started on Tuesday 17th at 19.30 h at Colegio Mayor Rector Peset with the conference: "Juan Varea: un maestro del cante sin raÌces" by the flamenco critic Conrado Medina, and the projection of "De los flamencos. Dela Unión a Cartagena, evocación de los cantes de Levante".
On the wednesday 18th it took place the third edition of the show "AsÌ se canta en la Comunidad Valenciana" at the Paraninfo de la Universitat PolitÈcnica de ValËncia, where three young cantaores played: Niñoo de Aurora from Castellón (awarded with the best under 25 in La UniÛn 2007), NiÒo de Elche from Alicante (awarded with the same price last year) and Manuel Fern·ndez Reyes from Valencia.
Juan Varea figure, due to Conrado Medina¥s opinion, is one of the most unusual in all the history of Spanish Flamenco, because he is not from Andalucia neither gipsy nor had artistic roots in his family. "He was an atypic cantaor in its most extended sense. He was an educated and self-taught person, well considered by his mates. He was the first figure in the best tablao of Madrid, the Villarrosa, during years, and best friend of Manolo Caracol; even though, he was awarded with the distinction of "Maestro del Cante" by the C·tedra of Flamencología from Jerez on 1983, two years before his death", Medina says.
LA MERCÉ BRINGS NEAR VAREA'S ART OVER THE SCHOOLCHILDREN
Two thousand Primary pupils from schools of Burriana, and also from the school Pla d´Hortolans, atended at the Centre Municipal de Cultura la Merc√® the Joven de la Agrupació Filarmónica Burrianense band concerts, programmed by the Burriana Cultural Council -in cooperation with the music seminar of Burriana Xim-Pum-Tra-Ca-tra and the schools.
The young musicians, under the baton of Estela Borja, made the schoolchildren participate and sing which packed the Mercé auditorium. This year act, with 3 sessions at 9.30, 10.30 and 11.30; was dedicated to the Centenary of the birth of the prestigious flamenco singer Juan Varea Segura, who was a Burriana native. Also a flamenco dancers group, composed by Miriam Sáchez, Mercé and Neus Rufino; performed the song La niña de fuego, that sounded together with Juan Varea's voice. After this, the young cantaor Juan Vicente Gonell, accompanied with the guitar of Antonio Parrado el malagueño, showed his art and discovered Varea's flamenco to the young audience with the song Punta de Europa.
JUAN VAREA SEGURA CENTENARY (see more images)
The Centenary of the birth of the flamenco singer Juan Varea Segura took place in The City of Burriana on Saturday 26th of April, who reached the fame, national and international, as one of the only ones who dominated all styles of flamenco.
These centenary acts, that started last 1st of February, reached their climax on Friday 25th with the opening of the Varea's statue at Plaça de les Monges, made by Enrique Gimeno and financed by Burriana Town Council. Many people went to this act, there were Juan Varea Cultural Association members, authorities and relatives, like the singer's grandson, Juan Diego Varea, who uncovered his granfather's statue.
The Cultural Councillor, Enrique Safont, presented the act and gave way to the shot of hundred firecrackers to remember the centenary. After this, he gave Romualdo Molina (Flamenco writer and tv programs director) the right to speak, who emphasized that Varea would have gone a long way if he would have been andaluz and the fact of being from Burriana didn't impede him to be the most important Flamenco singer.
The Juan Varea Cultural Association president, Luis Perarnau, obviously touched, thanked everybody's support to make this tribute come truth.
The mayor, José Ramón Calpe, praised the association insistence and gave to Juan Diego Varea a bust of the cantaor as a keepsake of the act, that finished with the hoarse voice of Salvador Cerizuelo ‚"El Pono‚", who played one of the Varea's favourite pieces.
At 22.30, the party moved to the Llar Faller, where Romualdo Molina made a speech, before a recital of Luis Fern√°ndez Soto (Luis el Zambo), accompanied by the guitar of Ignacio Franco.
The Centenary Day, Saturday 26th at the Llar Faller; the evening started with a conference of the poet and flamencologist José María Velázquez-Gaztelu, who was followed by the performance of the pretigious cantaor José de la Tomasa, whose talent was discovered by Juan Varea in Madrid and launched him to fame. He was accompanied by the guitar of Eduardo Rebollar.
27th March 2008
Burriana presents a broad program and the website www.juanvarea.es on the occasion of the centenary of Juan Varea's birth.
Burriana presents a broad program and the website www.juanvarea.es on the occasion of the centenary of Juan Varea's birth.
The Cultural Councillor, Enrique Safont Melchor, has presented today the first commemorative ceremony of the first centenary of the birth of singer Juan Varea Segura, who reached the fame, national and international, as one of the only ones who dominate all styles of flamenco. Accompanied by members from Juan Varea Cultural Association, Safont has remembered that the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez appointed Juan Varea as "Maestro del cante", and that he is considered as the best exponent of the flamenco history in the Comunidad Valenciana.
The Cultural Councillor is the president of the Centenary Organization Committee, "in which we have as objectives rediscover Varea's figure and artistic quality and that flamenco world assume his importance ", Safont said.
The program started last 1st of February with a conference by the prestigious flamencologist Conrado Medina, radio program director of Oído al cante, which was followed by a recital of Juan Varea's cantes played by Jesús Matías el chozas and the guitar of Rafael Andújar. Next Saturday 29th, in Paya Theater of Burriana, there will be a conference about Juan Varea, a classic, by Ängel Älvarez Caballero and the following flamenco gala by Marcelo Sousa and José Núñez.
On Arpil, 17th and 18th, in the Centre Municipal de Cultura la Mercé will take place a tribute to Varea for the school public, with the music of the Banda Jove de l‚ÄôAgrupaci√≥ Filharm√≤nica Borrianenca. Friday 25th, the day before of the centenary of Juan Varea's birth, there will be a monument opening of the Juan Varea's sculpture, made by the artist Enrique Gimeno, next to the Mercé. That night, at the Llar Faller, Luis el zambo will offer a cante recital after a conference by Juan de la Plata, who nowadays is the director of the Cáedra de Flamencología de Jerez (from the Universidad de Cádiz).
On the 26th of April, the day when Juan Varea was born, at the same place, there will be a conference by Manuel Ríos Ruiz, ABC flamenco critic, columnist of Diario de Jerez, fondateur of the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez, jury member of Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba and the Premios Nacionales de Flamenco. After this a recital by Juan Peña el lebrijano will take place, he is one of the most important singers of the best flamenco festivals and who obtained on 1997 the Gold Medal of Work from the Ministry of Culture.
All this program is available on the website that has also been presented today, www.juanvarea.es, "to spread not only Varea's figure, also what will be happening during the centenary, and it will allow users to contribute with information about the cantaor of Burriana", Enrique Safont explained.
President of the Juan Varea Cultural Association, Luis Perarnau, has thanked the Town Council for the effort to promote Varea's figure in his centenary, after this he has signed with the Mayor, Jose Ramón Calpe, an agreement in which the Local Administration finances the association with 30.000€¨ to organize this program.
Life and success
Juan Varea Segura was appointed Favourite Son of Burriana, after his death, on the 31st of August 2001. He was born on the 26th of April 1907, Varea dominated all styles, stressing his mastery in cantes de levante, soleares, seguiriyas, malague√±as, alegr√≠as or hisoriginal and beautiful coplas por bulerías.
His fame and his major success came when he was in the tablao Zambra in Madrid, where he stayed two decades as first figure. With th same company he played in the international festival of New York and Olimpia theater in Paris, and also in the Seville and Granada International Festivals. When he came back, he returned to tablao Zambra till its closing on 1975. He dedicated the rest of his artistic life to festivals and some tv programs.
Varea was -together with "El Rojo el alpargatero"- the most significant flamenco artist born in Comunidad Valenciana and one of the greatest of Spain from last century, as the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez recognised awarding him with the distinction of "Maestro del Cante", in 1983, just like other organizations that also made tributes to him.
On 1984, with an unstable health, he received a charming flamenco tribute in the Monumental Theatre in Madrid, with the presence of Mayor Tierno Galv√°n who praised about him and his artistic life.On the 24th of July 1985, in the ancient market of La Unión, Juan Varea singed with Juan Carmona "Habichuela", it would be the last time that he would play, his last cantes were: his malagueña personal, one from Chac√≥n and other from Juan Breva like the Yerbabuena, a sole√° de Alcal√° and two from Mellizo, three fandangos, one Taranta from Linares and the Cartagenera grande from Chacón, one seguiriya from Marrurro and other from Loco Mateo. This concert was recorded by TVE, that broadcasted part of it.
1st February 2008
BURRIANA STARTS THE CENTENARY OF THE MAESTRO DEL CANTE JUAN VAREA
Last Friday, 1st February, at 22:00 hrs, in the Payá Theatre of Burriana it took place the opening ceremony of the Centenary of the Maestro del Cante Juan Varea. The ceremony started with a tribute-conference by Conrado Medina, a radio professional whose radio program "Oído al cante" has been on air for 25 years and also has published several articles about flamenco.
The evening finished with a cante recital by Jesús Matías ‚el Chozas‚ who played the most representative Varea's cantes. "El Chozas" was awarded with important awards like the Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Cordoba, where also Varea won the Gold Key. He was accompanied by the guitar of Rafael Andújar, also a great soloist.
This ceremony was organized by the Cultural Council with the collaboration of the Juan Varea Cultural Association.
20th December 2007
Burriana constitutes the commitee to tribute the centenary of the birth of flamenco "cantaor" Juan Varea on 2008.
The Burriana Town council placed on the 20th of December the constitution of the special commitee for the centenary of the Juan Varea Segura's birth, "cantaor" flamenco who was born in Burriana the 26th of April 1908, who had international fame and success and the one to his town appointed as Favourite Son after his death. The commitee is composed by its president who is the Cultural Councillor, Enrique Safont, some members of the Juan Varea Cultural Association and other technical experts from the Town Council.
At their first meeting they exposed several ways of financing and also other ideas and purposes to tribute this centenary, with a calendar of ceremonies starting on the 1st of February till the 8th of November. Some of them are: creating a website, making a statue of the singer, some recitals, conferences or the reissue of some recordings and audio-visuals about Juan Varea.
This committee is the result of a Town Council agreement that was held on the 30th of July 2007, supported by a Local Popular Group motion which collected a request from the Juan Varea Cultural Association. This association organizes every year a cultural flamenco week and different musical and artistic events, in a town with a flamenco loving course, in what Varea had a lot to do.
Juan Varea Segura was born in Burriana on 1908 and died in Madrid when he was 77 years-old on 1985. He was one of the few non-andalusician cantaores that has leaved his mark in the cante history and his name is still a reference for generations of players.
His musical career started in Barcelona, where he was hired by the Miguel Vallejo company, from there on he jumped into fame. His success made him record the firsts recordings on the 30's. His singing covered with precision, prefection and sensibility all styles, and critics and flamenco music lovers, to who they have always liked him, considered him an expert of the classics.
Juan Varea travelled across all tablaos and stages of Spain and also exported flamenco to other countries. In Madrid, he successed and his name was for a long time on the posters of Zambra, one of the most famous tablaos of Spain.
He founded his own company, composed some fandangos and was considered one of the most important figures of his time. The Burriana villager shared galas with the best cantaores and guitarists like Pepe Marchena, Juan 'el pescaero' and Ramón Montoya.
The Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez awarded him two years before his death, when his health was already unstable, the Maestro del Cante award as an acknowledgement to a life dedicated to cante.