Amets Arzallus, at the verse session in Bilbao. /
Major Bertsolaritsa Championship
Having scored 662 points in the session in Bilbao and passed the barrier set by Julio Soto, the Hendaya bertsolaria will be in Pamplona together with Aitor Mendiluze
It was an excellent and warm session that was heard yesterday in Bilbao. It was commensurate with what was at stake, from start to finish, and the bertsolistas kept the audience on their toes throughout the evening. Because the favorites were favorites, and those who had a difficult ticket to the final had nothing to lose. Thus, in the final of December 18 Alaia Martin, Aitor Mendiluze, Sustrai Colina, Beñat Gaztelumendi, Amets Arzallus, Nerea Ibarzabal and Joanes Ilarregi will be with Maialen Lujanbio, the current champion. What a hit it was.
The little ten started very high yesterday by the two veterans. Aitor Mendiluz and Amets Arzallus happened to belong to the same political party. The first one was the mayor for many years, but in the last Arzallus won them. They were chatting there, how to make a change of power: “For years I have come to the municipal council / I needed the face I needed the attitude / I got used to it and got used to the bad / today I passed the position on the right and moved on / I will give you something else to the left”. Arzallus answered the party member without the need for indirect speech: “All dynasties have an end / money under the table, paper over paper / that’s how we trusted the PNV / to take the mayorship I have this question / is there still something left in the box”.
It also suited Joanes Ilarregi and Saioa Alkaiza to be close, friends to be precise. Alkaiza had been volunteering at the food bank for years, and he wanted to convince Ilarregi to attend. Ilarregi refused from the very beginning: “The invitation came from you like this / decent people are living very badly / we have difficulties and crises at home / I think I would help them / but the house must be seen first”. The volunteer didn’t find the answer to be satisfactory: “They are on the red street in the port to live / and the food bank is a star on the map / you have a good house, don’t fall into the trap / and there is plenty of time in the collision / and they, however, lack food”. He kept his Ilarregin in the three verses, and Alkaiza answered him again and again.
The most complete works could be heard in the main eight. It suited the Arzallus siblings to be archaeologists, specifically those who made the discovery in Irulegi. The brother started with an excellent play on words: “The old Basques were supposed to be black barbarians / politicians have often said to scientists and the crowd / I am happy with this hand of the dark one / what is a handshake for us and a cheek for others”. The sister continued the conversation: “It is true that we have made a great discovery / but Basque cannot be a mere archeology / the politicians you mentioned will need a push / if the language is to survive in another two thousand years”.
Alkaiza and Mendiluze, on the other hand, were metal workers who left their homes at five in the morning to go on strike pickets. It was an excellent and well-rounded job, because Alkaiza did it from the strength of ideals, and Mendiluz from the perspective of practical reasons. The champion of Navarre began: “It’s five in the morning and the sun is melting the dawn / Artealda’s habit of missing, the cops cut us down / we are the symbol of metal, we’re short / they put us on fire but we don’t bend easily”. As I said, the colleague wanted to stick his legs to the ground: “Your epicness and your strength are almost beyond measure / we wouldn’t be here except for the problem / I’m next to you Saia but not as happy as you / because this is not a good opportunity but the only opportunity”.
The work in the attic approached them from different perspectives. The theme was ‘You’ve been kicked out, your life has changed’. Jone Uria sang from the skin of a professor, who had to pay to pass a few lines. He ended the work like this: “At one time famous and a professor / who wanted to be an emeritus professor someday / supposedly will die someday always being a god / but they caught me and I’m the logical thing / I have a retirement that seems to be the norm / they sent me and I was done numberito / but now I am a sad and pathetic poor person / this will be the petic justice that is heard”.
Eight for the final, completed
Once the semi-finals are over, the eight that will play in the Pamplona final on December 18th is already complete. In addition to winning the session, Amets Arzallus has scored enough points to overcome the barrier set by Julio Soto in Bilbao (662 points), as well as Aitor Mendiluz (661 points).
As the 2017 champion, Maialen Lujanbio has a direct ticket and having obtained enough points, in addition to Arzalus and Mendiluz, Alaia Martin, Aitor Mendiluze, Sustrai Colina, Beñat Gaztelumendi, Nerea Ibarzabal and Joanes Ilarregi will be on stage.