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The Flamenco Biennale
Seville
4 days – September 23-26 2010
If you’ve ever wanted to get to the heart of flamenco, then come with us to Seville. Flamenco is Spain’s most passionate music, yet it can be frustratingly elusive without some inside knowledge. Songlines Travel Leader (and regular Songlines contributor) Jan Fairley is on hand with those all-important keys that tell you what to listen and watch out for. Find out the difference between an alegría and bulería, a soléa and a sevillana.
Walk the Barrio Santa Cruz, the old quarter of winding streets and tiled patios where you can sip a coffee, a fino sherry or a robust tinto, while feasting on the best tapas in the world. We’ll visit the Museo Cristina Hoyos de Baile Flamenco and explore the history of song (cante) and dance (baile); and where the guitar fits in. Find out how this vibrant tradition evolved among Gypsies in the old Triana quarter, just a walk across the River Guadalquivir from the Maestranza bullring where flamenco musicians and bull fighters lived side by side. At night, enjoy the real flamenco experience in classic bars where locals dance and sing.
We’ll also take a full day trip out to some of the Andalucían villages where many flamenco artists were born. Today small workshops flourish alongside house museums and peña bars where you will have an opportunity to hear the music and sample some of Andalucía’s delicious olives, jamón and queso. As well as being a lively centre of flamenco, Seville is home to magnificent Moorish and Christian monuments – the Giralda tower, the cathedral, Alcazar Palace and Gardens, the Plaza de España and more. Viva flamenco!
All Songlines Music Travellers will receive an information sheet about the local music, plus recommended recordings and DVDs.
Seville Itinerary
Day 1 Thurs
Whether you are flying with us or making your own way independently, you will meet up with our Songlines Travel Leader at the hotel for an introductory chat before some tapas and hitting the town to check out an atmospheric bar with good music.
Day 2 Fri
There is time today to make your own exploration of the city: – a river trip or the spectacular Alcazar. Planned activities will include a visit to the Flamenco Museum and a walking trip to Triana. Tonight we visit the museum for a private music performance before a late-night flamenco session in a local bar.
Day 3 Sat
We head outside Seville for the day to two gorgeous Andalucían villages – including the home of Nina de los Peiñes, one of the important early singers of flamenco whose statue you will have seen in Triana. We’ll have a private flamenco performance in a local peña. We return to Seville in the late afternoon. Time for a brief siesta before our last musical evening. Dinner, as always in Spain, can be fitted in early or enjoyed, alongside the music, later.
Day 4 Sun
After breakfast and if time allows before your flight home, you can go to mass at the cathedral – a real spectacle – and visit the Alcazar. After a break for lunch in Seville, those returning with us will fly back to London.
Pricing Details
Tour price (excl. flights) £545 per person
For information and reservations, call Songlines Music Travel on 020 8505 2582
