Lorca at the Alhambra For Love Passion and Violent DeathAnd It's All In The Best Possible TasteWe passed through the entrance gates with the others, young and old, all dressed ready for a good night out, some smart some casual. But Lorca at the Alhambra was the attraction. There was a general hub-hub of conversation from the audience. We were sitting in the open air amphitheatre waiting for the show to start. And finally the music played, the dancers took to the stage and the moment arrived. We were watching our first flamenco ballet featuring the work of Federico García Lorca of the Alhambra and Generalife.
Lorca was born in the village of Fuente Vaqueros near Granada in 1898. Just 38 years later in 1936 he was killed by Spanish nationalists in the outlying Vega, and was buried in the grave that he had been made to dig for himself. In life, he was a prolific writer and poet as well as being an expert guitarist and pianist. In Granada we now have a new annual tradition, being presented with a production of a Lorca play in the Generalife, the beautiful gardens that are part of the Alhambra palace, which, for this short time, becomes the home of Lorca at the Alhambra. Our First Visit To a Night Of Lorca In The GeneralifeThe first year we came to the open air amphitheatre we enjoyed Lorca's story of "Yerma" which featured the conflict that a barren marriage can bring. In the play, Yerma finally strangles her husband, Juan, who just cannot understand her need to bear children. The feeling generated during the performance was such that, when the husband was strangled to death, the whole audience applauded as one in support of the justice of it all.The next year we loved "Blood Wedding", another entertaining Lorca story of a bride who is finally tracked down and murdered by her husband after she runs away with a previous lover.. As you can see, Lorca's main themes are love, passion and violent death... aspects which marked his own short life.
And so we are looking forward, this year, 2007 to seeing "Poet in New York", the play which was inspired by the poems and writings of Lorca when he stayed in New York from 1929 to 1930 at Columbia University. In the show, the twenty dancers of different disciplines, express the emotions of Garcia as he explored and sought to come to terms with Wall Street, Harlem and the extremes of abundance and poverty of "The Big Apple". Tickets Available In AdvanceIt is tradition that a Lorca play set to flamenco ballet will be performed each year in the Generalife (the gardens of the Alhmabra). Tickets can be bought in advance from each June through El Corte Ingles in person or online at ElCorteIngles and at the Alhambra itself.We can't wait to see the next show. Hope to see you there! To catch more information about Lorca and Granada subscribe to our newsletter. To go to the top of this page click on Lorca Alhambra To find out all about Granada go to Granada information
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