Serranito
Who is Serranito?
Víctor Monge Serrano, “Serranito”, was born in Madrid in 1942 and began playing guitar at eight with the first pointers given to him by his father. He formed the trio “Los Serranos” with his older brother, which is where his stage name comes from, as the diminutive for the youngest member of the group, and entered the professional world at just twelve years old.
Career
Already established as a concert performer by the late 1960s, in 1970 guitar maker José Ramírez arranged his meeting with Andrés Segovia, who, after Serranito’s debut at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, wrote him a glowing review. Shortly afterward, as an adult, he studied with the maestro Narciso Yepes, which partly explains the blend of classical rigor and flamenco roots that characterizes his playing. His career is marked by a series of milestones: in 1971 he won the “Ramón Montoya” National Guitar Prize in Córdoba, in 1978 he obtained the Flamenco Chair of Jerez de la Frontera, and in 1982 he premiered his concerto for guitar and orchestra “Andaluz Sinfónico” at Madrid’s Teatro Real. He has taken his music to India, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Americas, building an international career unusually broad for a flamenco guitarist of his generation.
Style and discography
His playing, intricate and highly worked out, is one of the clearest examples of a fusion between classical technique and flamenco language. He has recorded close to twenty albums, among them “Sueños de Ida y Vuelta” with the Camerata Romeu, nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2003, in addition to his own concert compositions such as “Ecos del Guadalquivir” (1997) and “Mi sonido y el tiempo” (1998-1999).
Legacy
In 1997 the Madrid City Council awarded him the Gold Medal for Artistic Merit, and he has continued receiving honors such as the “Tío Luis el de la Juliana” prize in 2005 and the “Calle de Alcalá” distinction in 2007 for a career closely tied to Madrid. He remains an essential reference for understanding the most classical and symphonic strand of flamenco guitar.