Silvio Rodríguez
at the Fine Arts Museum
Michel Hernández
ON July 12, 1967, a young New Trova
singer-songwriter arrived at the National Museum of
Fine Arts to set in motion, perhaps unknowingly, the
beginning of a legend which has endured until today.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge and the
times are no longer those when he appeared on Cuban
stages with a guitar on his shoulder and his
impassioned spirit. However the songs of Silvio
Rodríguez touch everyone’s deepest of sentiments.
In his most recent performance at
the Museum of Fine Arts, where he shared the stage
with the Exaudi choir, this artisan of songs
revealed part of his past and present during close
to two hours. Almost at the start of the evening, he
sang two versions of "Sea señora" from his
Segunda Cita CD. The first was performed a
capella, as if it were an intimate, very personal
dialogue. Then he asked Niurka González on flute,
Oliver Valdés on drums and the Trovarroco trio to
accompany for a second version of the song in which
he expresses his perspective on contemporary Cuban
realities.
Almost at the foot of the stage, the
public seemed like just another member of his band,
particularly when he moved on to versions of a
number of his classics, such as "Ojalá",
"Mariposas", "Óleo de mujer con sombrero", "El
reparador de sueños", "Quién fuera" and "El Mayor,"
which conserve everything that one day made them
greats. There are more than a few who, in the light
of today, present their own interpretation of these
songs, subsequently incorporating them into their
personal history like bibles.
Throughout the evening Silvio came
across as prepared to enjoy the concert not just as
his gift to the youth he was, but also to his legion
of followers who totally filled the Museum. In fact,
he tried to make everything in his universe function
to perfection, and recovered from some avoidable
sound system failings in the middle of the chords of
"Escaramujo," one of his classics. "I’ll sing it
again if you want," he said and received a burst of
applause in approval.
He immediately replayed this
emblematic song which reached into the emotional
fiber of the audience.
