Málaga and Joel Meyerowitz. Carmen Linares concert

In Carmen Linares: Cantaora: 40 years of Flamenco, the most important female singer on today’s flamenco scene presents a unique performance of the most important songs from her career. It features her essential repertoire with flamenco lyrics by poets such as Lorca, Juan Ramón Jiménez and Miguel Hernández, popular lyrics from her Anthology of women, and two numbers paying tribute to Enrique Morente and Paco de Lucía.

The audience is taken on a journey through flamenco music, Andalusian folklore and poetry. A show full of light, tenderness, tears, remembrance, colour and truth. The light of the Bay of Cadiz, the churches of Seville, the sky of Málaga and the olive groves of Jaén. The essence of drama and folklore in the verses of Federico García Lorca, Miguel Hernández, Rafael Alberti and Juan Ramón Jiménez. Remembrance in the musical tributes to Paco de Lucía, Enrique Morente and Mercedes Sosa. The truth of the unique voice of Carmen Linares, whose singing both scratches and caresses listeners. A singer who is a living flamenco legend and a key artist for understanding Spanish musical culture.

Carmen Linares is recognised as a living legend of flamenco. She hails from the best generation of flamenco artists together with Paco de Lucía, Camarón de la Isla, Enrique Morente, José Mercé and Tomatito.

Her first album dates back to 1971, with the maestro Juan Habichuela. As a soloist, she has recorded a dozen albums which are acknowledged as key references in this field, such as Antología de la mujer en el cante (Anthology of women in flamenco singing) accompanied by Moraito, Vicente Amigo, Tomatito and Pepe Habichuela, and her trilogy paying tribute to Spanish poets: Canciones populares de Lorca, Raíces y alas and Verso a verso. Among her record collaborations are memorable duets with Miguel Poveda, Joan Manuel Serrat, Manolo Sanlúcar and Pitingo. Over the course of her 40-year flamenco career, she has performed on stages all over the world such as Carnegie Hall (New York), Cité de la Musique (Paris), Opera House (Sydney), Shinjuku Bunka Center (Tokyo), Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Barbican Center (London) and Royal Opera (Oslo). Carmen Linares is the only female flamenco artist to have won a National Music Award (2001).

She has also received the Medal for the Fine Arts (2006), the Silver Medal of Andalusia (1998), three awards for Best Flamenco Album (2008, 2011, 2018), a Latin Grammy nomination (2002) and a nomination for the Goya Awards (2019).