Meeting in 1993
OmegaThe name originated as an album, combining the music of Leonard Cohen and the poetry of García Lorca, reinterpreted in the distinctive Spanish Flamenco style.
In 1993, talented Spanish Flamenco artist Enrique Morente had the opportunity to meet Leonard Cohen for the first time - who was then considered a world music "legend".
After the meeting, Enrique Morente began working with the four-piece band Lagartija Nick, together they sought to incorporate Cohen's music into Lorca's poetry.
After two years of "eating and sleeping" with Flamenco voices, the sound of electric guitars, applause and pounding drums, in 1996, Morente officially completed the albumOmega-placeHe put a Flamenco cloak on Leonard Cohen's music, as a way to remember and pay tribute to the bond between the two.
Meeting between Enrique Morente (left) and Leonard Cohen (right)
AfterOmegaUpon its release, the album quickly created a huge buzz both domestically and internationally. Traditional Flamenco artists seemed to vehemently reject this daring album, while Rock listeners extremely loved and welcomed it.
"Omega"It's the most groundbreaking album ever made in Spain," said Javier Pouso, Director of Strategic Marketing and Sales at Universal Music Spain. "It's an album that gets people talking, even if they haven't listened to it. In the same way people always comment onDon Quixoteeven if they have never read it."
Leonard Cohen himself, in late 1996, shared: "I was very moved when my songs were performed in the Flamenco style. No one had ever performed my songs in this way before."
Leonard Cohen (1934-2016), Canadian singer, songwriter, poet, writer,...
OMEGA, where Spaniards meet... each other
It was Granada, the ancient city in southern Spain where Enrique Morente and Leonard Cohen first met. Morente's recording studio was also located in this city.
ProjectOmegaIt originally started with a simpler idea: Morente wanted to record some music as a tribute to the artist Leonard Cohen, the first song he chose wasTake This WaltzBy chance,Take This Waltzis a song composed by Leonard Cohen based on a poem by Lorca - a famous Spanish poet and painter who died in battle at the age of 38.
The poet Lorca was also born in the city of Granada, with a unique Flamenco spirit that is clearly expressed in his later artistic career. Many of Lorca's poems were inspired by Flamenco and vice versa, many of Lorca's works have also become a source of inspiration for contemporary Flamenco artists today.
Leonard Cohen himself said he first read Lorca's poetry when he was 15 years old, and even named his daughter after the late poet.
Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), poet, playwright, and also an outstanding Spanish painter
During his days working at the recording studio in Granada, Morente found a common starting point among the artists: the poetry collection.A Poet in New YorkLorca's, perfectly suited to Cohen's music, as well as to the project.Omegawhich he himself cherished.
"It was Leonard Cohen that introduced me to Lorca," Morente said in an interview.
A door opens to Spanish music
Before there wasOmega, Enrique Morente remains one of the most famous Flamenco artists of his time. After the release ofOmega, many veteran Flamenco artists did not hesitate to use the word "trash" for his album. But in return,Omegawas immediately accepted by Rock music lovers. From traditional Flamenco stages with a capacity of one or two thousand spectators, Morente now performs inconcertRock music was huge throughout Spain, Latin America, and even in the United States.
Artist Enrique Morente in the stages of Flamenco and Rock
In 2016, a documentary of the same name was released to the public, recounting the entire process of formation and success of the album Flamenco-RockOmegaThe film was later nominated for a Goya Award for Best Documentary.
"Omega"It's the story of how a record that shook the world of music was made," producer Gervasio Iglesias said about the film. "It was also the moment when Spanish music opened new doors."
In 2010, four years after the filmOmegadebut and 14 years after the albumOmegareleased, artist Enrique Morente passed away. And as Morente's wife once said of her husband's brainchild, "Omegais an album that, even 20 years from now, will still be contemporary, will still be relevant."
OMEGA movie poster by artist Enrique Morente
On April 7, 2022, during the official visit of the Spanish Ambassador to Central Vietnam, they will also send to Vietnamese audiences the filmOmega- a cultural pride of Spain.
The screening takes place at 7:00 PM at Le Do Cinema (Da Nang City); the event is completely free and open to the public until full.
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