The Víctor Fernández Gópar "El Salinero" Theater hosted the presentation of their new album "Lanzarote, my town and César" this Friday. With an impeccable staging under the musical direction of Ito Hernández and the vocal harmonization of the soloists and choristers by José Antonio Elías, the 33 members of Acatife brought the numerous public that packed the hall to their feet.
An evening that began with Los Diabletes de Teguise running through the stalls and the masterful narration of the writer Isabel Cabrera about the volcanic eruptions that occurred in Lanzarote and thus the first chords of the song El Diablo de Timanfaya began to sound. Song that gives name to the fifth recording of Acatife and that they have been pleased to include it but this time in the recording carried out live in November of last year in the auditorium of Los Jameos del Agua.
A presentation that is framed in the program of the 40th anniversary of the Acatife Cultural Association. For Acatife it was a challenge to be able to record a live album and they have achieved it with flying colors and in the presentation this Friday the quality with which their instruments sounded was more than demonstrated, to which the tuned voices of soloists and choristers joined, making the public enjoy from the first moment. Isabel Cabrera made the prologues and thus with great detail she was linking each of the songs that were playing such as El Bucherito, Corazón de Barro, Timple de Mar or El rico y las Plañideras among others.
Without a doubt, one of the most emotional moments of the night occurred when listening to the voice of César Manrique with one of the many messages such as preserving the island of Lanzarote and that many of us had the opportunity to listen to him in his visits to Radio Lanzarote, recordings that the Foundation that bears his name jealously guards. "My town and César", song composed by the writer and poet Jaime Quesada present at the event and music by Ner Suárez, theme performed by the young woman from Lanzarote Almudena Hernández Toledo, a privileged voice that allows her to interpret any musical genre being one of the most applauded.
The group had the collaboration of the Asociación de Bailes Típicos Altaja participating with three couples at the moment the seguidillas sounded. The cover and back cover of the album is the work of the Lanzarote painter David Morales inspired by a pictorial work by César Manrique and which has the authorization of his Foundation.
The Acatife Cultural Association has always been characterized by the composition, arrangements and contributions, combining with traditional rhythms and sounds. In this case, the themes in their great majority, continue to have the group's own stamp. External parties have also been used who have contributed similar angles of vision to the various compositions.
With the song Soy Canario, Acatife ended the presentation of his album "Lanzarote, my town and César", but the public standing with loud applause asked them to continue, a request they accepted with the encore Guajira Linda. Afterwards, the album was put on sale in the theater hall where many of the attendees took it home.
