Ten years after Juan Gabriel's death, his fans are remembering the "Divo de Juárez" this Friday with screenings, concerts, special programs, and tributes in several cities. In the United States, where he died, several tributes will be held, EFE reported.
Chicago plans to relive the iconic concert with which Alberto Aguilera Valadez, better known as Juan Gabriel, made history in Mexican popular music, thanks to the screening of the documentary 'Juan Gabriel: My First Fine Arts', on the tenth anniversary of the singer's death.
The documentary about María José Cuevas, a remastered edition with improved audio and never-before-seen footage of the momentous performance, will be screened this Friday at Millennium Park in Chicago, in collaboration with the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Music that unites people
Later, on September 15, it will arrive in approximately 440 movie theaters across the United States for one night only.
"Juan Gabriel's music unites people," Jaime L. Ortega, deputy director of performing arts at the National Museum of Mexican Art, told EFE.
"Juan Gabriel's concert at the Palace of Fine Arts is one of the most iconic moments in Mexican music, and more than three decades later, we are proud to share it with thousands of people in Chicago," he added.
Juan Gabriel died on August 28, 2016 in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 66, after suffering a heart attack just two days after performing before some 17,500 attendees at The Forum in Inglewood, as part of his 'MeXXIco es todo' tour.
It crossed borders
His ashes were taken to the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City for a posthumous tribute. His death left a void in Mexican music, as he is considered one of the country's greatest composers.
Its relevance transcended borders, and proof of this are the multiple celebrations, concerts and tributes that are being replicated these days in different cities in the United States.
Another major event will take place on Saturday, August 29th at the Los Angeles Arts and Culture Plaza, with 'Unforgettable: Celebrating the Legacy of Juan Gabriel'.
The free event will include mariachi music, folk dancers, and special surprises in tribute to the author of songs like 'Amor Eterno' and 'Hasta que te conocí'.
In El Paso, Texas, San Jacinto Square will host a free outdoor concert this Friday, August 28, led by Arturo Guerrero under the name 'The Legacy of Juan Gabriel'.
Bars and nightclubs will also offer parties dedicated to the Divo of Juárez, but the tributes will also be seen on television.
Telemundo will present a one-hour primetime special called 'Juan Gabriel, Eternal Love,' which will include in-depth interviews with Juan Gabriel's family and friends, who will reflect on his life and his prolific 45-year musical career, the media network announced.
Amazon Music will also commemorate this tenth anniversary of his death with an exclusive vinyl record, a new version of the song 'Así fue' and playlists dedicated to the artist.
In Mexico
Hours before August 28th began, his music was revived from vinyl records in his native Mexico this Thursday during a listening session in Mexico City.
The notes of 'Querida', with the collaboration of the Colombian Juanes, inaugurated the night, although the prelude was also memorable as it was embraced by music from José Alfredo Jiménez and Lola Dueñas, whom Juan Gabriel considered his teachers.
The organization of the session was led by Virgin Music Group, which manages the artist's estate together with Iván Aguilera, the composer's son.
"Our mission is to keep their legacy alive and, at this moment, there is a trend of people returning to buying physical products globally," Leonardo Ramírez, marketing director of Virgin Music Group, told EFE, adding that the acquisition of products from this market has increased by 14%.
Unreleased versions
Ramírez revealed that the vinyl record of 'Eterno', the piece that opened the second part of the session, contains five unreleased versions recorded by his mariachi director, Guillermo Hernández.
"Maestro Guillermo has a hard drive full of Juan Gabriel moments; they recorded many songs that were never released before, but he has the raw vocals," he explained about the times that 'El divo de Juárez' would visit his teacher's house at odd hours to create music that now lives on in the vinyl of 'Eterno'.
'Mis 40 en Bellas Artes' was the vinyl record that brought the evening to a close, a moment that revived that 1990 episode in which the artist combined the reality of popular singing and dancing with the high culture infused in the Palace of Fine Arts.
Besides being a chronicler of popular sentiment, Juan Gabriel was a musical prodigy. He wrote his first song, 'La muerte del palomo' (The Death of the Dove), at the age of 13, a ballad imbued with death and loneliness, adult feelings that the singer had already experienced as a child, when he once said that he was "an old and profound man."
