Andalusia is an orchard. I am not referring to its variety and abundance of plants, flowers or trees, but to its abundance of clichés that create a romantic image where we all walk down the street with guitars, the women wear tailed gowns and the rest of us are bullfighters. These clichés are great and correspond to an Andalusia that should not be renounced, but we are going to talk about Andalusians who do exceptional things outside the clichés and in this little corner we are going to talk about them.
ROCÍO DE FRUTOS, THE VOICE THAT GRABS YOU.
There is no better person to start this series of articles. The celebration of FeMÀS (which we talked about in a previous article) has allowed us to talk to this marvellous artist, soprano singer.
This Sevillian seems prudish, she does not believe she is a diva. Her life was leading her to become a lawyer, but finally she dedicated herself to music. After the inevitable childhood flute, she began her musical studies flirting with the violin although, fortunately, she ended up deciding on singing. She obtained a higher degree at the Victoria Eugenia Royal Conservatory in Granada with the teacher Ana Huete.
As she says “being a musician in Spain requires engineering for survival, as well as talent”. This has led her to combine her work as a concert performer with teaching music. She is a doctor and professor at the University of Seville, although she is very clear about her vocation and, if she has to choose, her artistic activity is unrenounceable.
The list of first-rate ensembles, orchestras and conductors with whom she has worked, as well as the auditoriums and countries where she has performed artistically, is overwhelming. Soon you will be able to see her in places as varied as Poland, Germany and Switzerland (hopefully without a mask and with a large capacity).
In 2022 her group Vandalia will be 10 years old (a heroic feat) and she has just released her fourth dicographical work (another heroic feat) with works by Monteverdi and Gesualdo. Hearing and seeing them is a real pleasure. You should do it if you have the chance.
Roció, halfway between baroque and renaissance, speaks of the squares of Mazagón, where Doñana reaches the sea, when asked about “her” Andalusia. He also recommends the museum life of Malaga and Soho, full of life and art.
Here in Andalusia there are not only dancers and bullfighters, but also world-class sopranos. Listen to her, let yourself be carried away by her voice and you will become a fan like me.
