Sílvia Pérez Cruz’ Old Soul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cznjpG6lFz8&t=2590s

My Genie, My Fiery Señorita, My Hurley

Written by

Jude Thaddeus L. Bautista

Her voice is haunting. Feels like you’ve heard it before. But you can’t place it or remember exactly when or where. Perhaps a previous lifetime?

Les Suds (The South) Music Festival in Arles France was able to coax the best out of Sílvia Pérez Cruz, who had been going to the renowned world music festival for several years.

The first song in her 2017 concert was ESTRELLA (STAR) written by Flamenco cante artists Enrique Morente and Pepe Habichuela. Flamenco has its origins in the late 18^th century. But in the hands of Sílvia Pérez Cruz, her interpretation, it sounds, it feels, even older than that.

The strings, sound like the desert but it’s her voice that transports you, a thousand years ago. When the Moors first emigrated to Spain, the music passed from father to son. Mixing, blending to what it is and evolved as Flamenco. Her voice, somehow, captures its original spirit.

Her second song was TONADA DE LUNA LLENA (Tune of the Full Moon), written by Grammy award winning composer of Venezuelan music Simón Díaz. He is known for honoring the folklore and traditions of the llanos, the Venezuelan plains. From: Simon Diaz wikiwand

Latin superstar Natalia Lafourcade, has her own interpretation of TONADA DE LUNA, but sounds more sweet. It’s difficult to put to words, the haunting quality, of how Silvia’s voice is able to transport you to a different place and time, you’ve never been before.

Sílvia Pérez Cruz & Rocío Molina – Corrandes d’exili (Live)

From that same concert, she sang CORRANDES D’EXILI based on the poem of Pere Quart. It is a famous Catalan poem referring to exiles of the Spanish Civil war. It was set to music by Luis Llach (in 1973) which Silvia revived. Again, her voice brings out the longing, sadness of the poem. The concert performance included a flamenco dance interpretation by Rocío Molina.

I’ve included here a few of the lyrics from ESTRELLA and TONADA DE LUNA LLENA, Spanish and English. Lyrics translation from Lyrics translate.com :

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/estrella-star.html-0

ESTRELLA

Written by

Enrique Morente and Pepe Habichuela

Si yo encontrara la estrella que me guiara,

Yo la metería muy dentro de mi pecho y la venerara,

Si encontrara la estrella que en el camino me alumbrara.

If I found the star that would guide me

I would place her deep within my chest and revere her

If I found the star that would light my path