ALICANTE ARNICHES THEATER
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Albert St. John Y Music band
In the early twentieth century, the literary giant Federico García Lorca explored the fissures of modern life through poetry and performance. In 1930 his collection Poeta en Nueva York spoke to a city of neon and struggle, and his recital at Madrid’s Residencia de Señoritas marked a turning point in how poetry could intersect social reality. Lorca’s experiences in New York sharpened his critique of capitalism and industrial progress, revealing a tension between urban growth and human fragility. This tension becomes a central thread in the performance, as artists channel Lorca’s sensibilities into a vocal, melodic dialogue that resonates with audiences. The piece presents a debate about freedom, justice, love, and beauty as living forces, not abstract ideals, and invites listeners to engage with the emotional pulse behind each line.
Alberto San Juan shapes the presentation with a voice that moves between sincerity and irony, sometimes sounding as if he is singing rather than merely speaking. With careful tempo and deliberate pauses, his delivery wraps the audience in a sequence of emotional shades that mirror the poetry’s cadence. The ensemble behind him—Claudio de Casas on guitar, Pablo Navarro handling bass and cajón, and Miguel Malla on saxophone and keyboard—infuses the performance with jazz-inflected textures. Their collaboration creates a musical atmosphere that can feel both contemplative and urgent, a listening experience that invites the crowd to lean in and follow the narrative’s emotional arc.
The work traverses the era of economic depression in the 1930s and the social upheavals that accompanied rapid industrialization. It presents a portrait of a world where cold numbers and factory rhythms clash with human longing. As Lorca’s lines question the moral costs of progress, the performers translate those questions into a live soundscape, where silence and sound become equal interlocutors in a larger conversation about humanity. The performance makes visible a universal struggle—the conflict between material abundance and the depths of personal dignity—an issue that remains relevant across generations and geographies.
The song-like passages and spoken moments create a sense of discord that mirrors the light Lorca describes as aurora: a pale, unsettled glow that hints at unease rather than clarity. The piece portrays crowded urban spaces, the noise of commerce, and the pressure of crowds pressing forward. Yet beneath the bustle the performers uncover a longing for a more humane connection. The ensemble emphasizes musical motifs that evoke improvisation and resilience, weaving together themes that speak of alienation and solidarity in equal measure. The result is a performance that feels intimate even within a bigger hall, drawing the audience into a shared moment of reflection about the human condition.
The production places Lorca’s voice in the center of a dialogue about social inequality and the politics of power. The poet’s verses, delivered with a raw, almost visceral energy, interrogate the values of a society that measures worth by wealth and speed rather than by compassion. In this interpretation, the performer suggests that the true value of art lies in its capacity to challenge unfair systems and to illuminate the dignity of people who are too often overlooked. The narrative also nods to the African-American experience in Harlem and to the broader global currents of cultural exchange and resistance, incorporating a sense of historical memory that enriches the emotional resonance of the set pieces.
The journey described in these performances moves away from coastlines and toward a horizon where culture, migration, and identity intersect. It finds Lorca’s spirit in a contemporary frame, reflecting ideas about freedom and collective humanity that continue to spark discussion. In this sense, the piece becomes more than a performance; it serves as a meditation on how art can critique systems while honoring the human voice at its core. The artists acknowledge the historical currents that shaped Lorca and the era in which he wrote, while also recognizing the ongoing relevance of his call to resist dehumanization in all its forms.