An Afternoon of Love with Filin
In an exquisite corner of Matanzas, the José White Concert Hall, anthological pieces of the so-called «filin» were performed with veneration, in a space led by the virtuoso of the guitar, maestro Vicente Hernández.
The afternoon unfolded with a parade of guests, which turned out to be much more than an approach to the sensuality of that genre, so deeply rooted among lovers of Cuban music, founded in the 1940s by José Antonio Méndez and César Portillo de la Luz.
«This moment of feelings is our gift to the Matanzas audience. We enjoy love through filin,» expressed the instrumentalist, Hernández, who began with José Antonio Méndez’s classic «La gloria eres tú,» accompanied by Roldany Hernández on violin and percussion.
The first to sing was Aniubis Segura, who performed «Tú, mi delirio» by Portillo de la Luz and «Si me comprendieras» by Méndez.
Also joining this tribute to bolero — Intangible Heritage of Humanity — was the renowned artist Alfonsito Llorens, who confessed that he had not cultivated this genre, with its particular nuances, for years. It had its peak in the city of rivers and bridges in the 1980s at the Casa de la Trova, located where the Vigía publishing house now stands.
It is worth knowing that filin is a child of traditional trova; it becomes a movement of stylistic and aesthetic rupture in the ways of making song, especially bolero, extending from the score to the literary, with features close to jazz.
An example of this feeling was the performance of Daniel Pichardo, with attractive phrasing, in the songs «Algo contigo» by Vicentico Valdés, «La gloria eres tú» by Méndez, and «Contigo en la distancia» by Portillo de la Luz.
Like a new bird soaring toward the Yumurino musical firmament, the young Elizabeth Junco sang, in her version of «Noche cubana» by César Portillo.
Likewise, melodious and surprising in the lower registers, Manolo Concepción presented himself, performing «Llorando por dentro» by Arturo Castro and with a sentimental-style version of the song «Penélope» by Joan Manuel Serrat.
Pleasant and hopeful was the performance of little Isabela Suárez, in a duet with strings with maestro Vicente in the Latin American piece «Bésame mucho» by Mexican Consuelito Velázquez.
And the vibrant voice of Julita Osorio entered the scene, in the classic piece «Imágenes» by Matanzas-born Frank Domínguez, while Reynaldo Fabián delighted those present with «Me faltabas tú» and «Novia mía.»
In dialogue with the audience, he confessed that he began in these endeavors in the 1980s when he met the unforgettable Méndez in Havana. Motivated, he then sang the tasty piece «Y decídete mi amor,» which says «Love me with frenzy.»
They also recalled songs performed by Elena Burque and the Aragón Orchestra, chanting «Mi son entero.»
An afternoon of filin held at the José White Concert Hall for the enjoyment of the people of Matanzas, demonstrating the validity in the Athens of Cuba of this genre, so Cuban.
