Pope Francis greeted a world-class violinist at the Vatican. He is 29-year-old Paco Montalvo from Cordoba.
-'It would be an honor to play a piece I composed for my land of Córdoba.'
-'You can play it. While I walk around, you can play it... if you're not offended.'
-'No!'
PACO MONTALVO
Violinist
“I had the privilege of offering the Pope a fragment of one of the compositions I have dedicated to my land of Córdoba. It's called “Calleja del pañuelo.” It's a flamenco rumba, and I think he liked it.”
Paco Montalvo has performed in legendary venues like Carnegie Hall in New York. He is best known for his pioneering flamenco violin.
PACO MONTALVO
Violinist
“The violin becomes the protagonist. It's like the singing voice, the leading voice. And it's accompanied by cuadro flamenco, which includes flamenco guitar, claps, dancing, electric bass and percussion. The violin has that capacity to sing, and also that capacity for virtuosity. And you get a magical fusion.”
The musician says attending the Pope's General Audience wasn't on his schedule during his short visit to Rome. He even had to borrow a violin for the occasion. But he says playing flamenco violin for Pope Francis is an experience he will never forget.
CT
