Saragossa.
With just turned 79, in the middle of a tour of Spain and with several projects in progress, the Cuban troubadour Paul Milanes he trusts that freedom, to which he has sung so much, will come; and he will not do it with shots, but with flowers.
The singer-songwriter, guitarist and composer will illuminate his concerts with his Days of Light, with new compositions and the repertoire that has brought him closer to the public for more than six decades.
Why did you choose Days of Light for your tour?
It was when the pandemic began and until now I have been thinking for two years that we are going to enjoy those days of light that will leave us as a summary of all this. I didn’t think that the transnationals, the governments, the parties, etcetera, etcetera, were going to make me look bad; and that they were not going to count on the human being at all. But hey, it’s not over yet. And here we are waiting and waiting, and still singing Days of Light.
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Songs like ‘I will tread the streets again’ or ‘Yolanda’ are anthems for several generations. How do you feel when she sings them in front of the public?
That’s what the writer (Manuel Vázquez) Montalbán said when he wrote a story for the newspaper El País. And that for an artist —painter, poet, writer— a single work was enough to be remembered. That chronicle filled me with pride because it is true that a single work exalts you for life. What I already feel is the height of pleasure and of seeing the result of your work, that in reality the feelings that you are expressing or launching to the public are received with the same fervor with which you give them. It is true that a goblin occurs between you and the public when there is emotional communication. And that is so beautiful; That is priceless.
‘Días de luz’ stages an intimate musical format, how do you achieve it?
This time I chose two friends of mine. Cari Varona, a very young woman who plays the cello fabulously, and Miguelito, Miguel Núñez, who has been working with me on the piano for many years and is a master of that instrument. Sometimes I also accompany with the guitar. But it is a trio that sometimes reminds one of a chamber concert, even if it is smaller. Its beautiful; I think the public should not miss it. You see a different Pablo, a different orchestra and they are even different songs, because for this format I have chosen another type of song.
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the desire of the people
In one of his songs he says that when freedom grows above the trees, we know that it will not survive. Will we be able to see her always alive?
You will see it, but I won’t. You will see it because undoubtedly the desire of the people will prevail. I think there are many years left to overcome what is happening today. We still see today dictatorships, what Putin is doing, what others are doing, those who are taking advantage of the atrocities being committed in Ukraine… In short, and we see dictatorships everywhere. There is a long way to go, but freedom will come, and it will not be with shots, bombs or shrapnel, I think it will be with flowers and imposing the freedom of peoples around the world.