Puerto Rican audiences last night had the opportunity to see the new Banco Popular special, a production that kicked off Christmas 30 years ago and this time celebrates those very three decades of music and photography history – through the screen.
“More than 30″, the title of this edition, I emphasize a more documentary character, to take the viewer on a journey through different stages of the audiovisual project, characterized (and detailed) by the diversity of directors and directors who have shaped it up to to the present present, with the second direction by Noelia Quintero, with photography by Pedro Juan López. Filmmaker Marcos Zurinaga, who directed the first 1993 special, “A Singing City,” began the historical journey by highlighting how “a country was built” through these cultural productions.
Paloma Suau, Kacho López, Mariem Pérez, Israel Lugo, Carlitos Ruiz, Gabriel Coss, Arí Maniel Cruz and others also attended to present and reflect on what this Special represents, not only for its artistic value but also as a workshop for work for those who make up this industry. Interspersed among these were musical director Ángel “Cucco” Peña’s treasured reminiscences of the development of the extraordinary and its significance beyond our realms.
A large part of the stories was intertwined with the contributions of the journalist Ana Teresa Toro, who contextualized the social, economic or cultural moment that outlined each of the specials to date, together with the comments and reflections of some of the singers who have participated in the Been over time, like Manny Manuel, Dagmar and Kanny García.
Singer-songwriter Kany García took part again, this time also sharing her youthful desire to one day be a part of the special. (included)Musically, this edition has retained the style instilled in it by director Luis Amed Irizarry, merging mature voices with younger ones, sometimes creating a new sonic universe for themes recognized by the collective ear. The young Miko, who interpreted the classic “Sale el sol” by Ismael Rivera, was one of these experiments that surprised positively. It was also a performance of rhythms, beginning with a tasty bomba junta and continuing with merengue, salsa, plena and the traditional Christmas party, among others.
The union of the Pleneros de la Cresta and the singer-songwriter of the urban genre Rainao in the classic by Tite Curet Alonso (1926-2003), “Sobre una tumba humble”, was another memorable novelty, even more the tribute to the plenero and cultural managers Héctor “Tito” Matos (1968-2022) hitting the tambourine. The surprise performance of the late musician’s son, little Marcelo, who played the tambourine with the passion he learned from his father, was really exciting.
It was interesting to know the aspects that took place behind the scenes, like the story that Cucco Peña made about the arrangement he made for Marc Anthony of the song “Preciosa” by Rafael Hernández, making it one of the anthems of us made popular music. , and how Paloma Suau created an audiovisual narrative about the character of José Feliciano, starting from the reality that he is blind.
Being a historical recreation, the imagery’s back and forth between past and present was justified, which not only supported the stories but also refreshed the memory of the wide variety of local and international artists who were part of this special. Surely this will be one of the most debated points among those who have observed it, since there will be those who always strictly wait for the musical content and not for the narrative, but it was necessary to establish the relevance and transformations of this project in 30 years.
‘More Than 30’ prompted – directly or indirectly – a reflection on the passage of time because, as Kany García noted, many grew up with it and dreamed of being a part of it at some point, and had the opportunity to do so in the credits appear. He also confirmed how this special has been designed from its origin as an artistic work to make visible and preserve one of the great values of this country: our music, and that includes from Rafael Hernández to Bad Bunny, although there are still those who do reject this opening.