Review: Paco Peña Presents Flamenco Vivo
[Bermuda Festival Review – Paco Peña presents Flamenco Vivo – by Alan C. Smith]
Flamenco legend Paco Peña treated Bermuda Festival audiences to the world premiere of his latest show, Flamenco Vivo. Those present at the opening at the City Hall Theatre were privileged to witness an event that stands out for me as one of the best I have seen in a Festival run.
The brilliantly conceived, deceptively simplistic, staging of the show, through subtle and evocative lighting and silhouetted transitions from one scene to another, put the emphasis on the art-form and the performers. In most cases a single vocal, musical or movement element began a scene with other instruments, individuals and ideas being gradually introduced, building in intensity and drama.
I have only experienced live flamenco once before, in a little restaurant with a performance area in Cuba. It was enjoyable but it was geared toward tourists. Peña ‘s show felt steeped in authenticity.
The performers, all of Andalucían descent, are obviously masters of their craft. The hard-edged soaring singing, graceful dancing with its elaborate hand and arm movements and rapid percussive footwork, the spirited strumming and virtuoso drumming were underscored by respect for the tradition and celebration of individual style.
The two staggeringly impressive male dancers, Ángel Muñoz and Ramon Martinez, had such different albeit complimentary styles that their execution of the same choreography saw them each still distinctive. This meant that arm and body positions might differ significantly but these differences only served to deepen the sense of improvisation and the fact that each piece, the whole evening in fact, was the result of a group of expert performers coming together to honour tradition and add their unique flavour to the spicy and very satisfying concoction.
Charo Espino, the female dancer, is equally impressive and her sinuous arm movements and exaggerated hip motion magnified and the feminine and contrasted strikingly with the males.
Although the dancers were front and centre through most of the evening all elements added their own equal, distinctive and essential portion to the glorious whole.
The singers, Jesús Carbacho and Immaculada Rivero, especially the latter, performed with such conviction and urgency that emotions were stirred with no idea of what was being uttered.
The friend that I attended the performance with said that she had experienced flamenco in bars in Huelva, a tiny fishing town in Andalucía, and many moments during the evening matched the improvisational spirit of those sessions that went on until dawn. She said that, unsurprisingly, the hard-voiced Immaculada was the genuine tradition bearer. Her delivery, which often seemed on the verge of dissolving into crying, was full of passion and pain.
The musicians – although arguably they were all musicians, with foot-stomps and handclaps as integral as guitar – were enormously skilled. Like the dancers they seamlessly blended individuality with being part of the band.
There were portions that felt deeply rooted in tradition and ancient culture followed by moments that seemed completely modern. Often this was accomplished with a deft change of lighting or beat or change of a dancer’s posture.
Throughout the performance I kept thinking, “I cannot imagine that it gets better than this.” I cannot imagine that it gets better than that anywhere. It was an almost flawless presentation of folk performance, high art, technical precision and abandon.
I cannot speak for the rest of the audience but my friend and I were absolutely and sumptuously transported. I believe that the whole audience was with us because the performance was awarded with two thunderous standing ovations.
I truly believe that the organizers of the Bermuda Festival have outdone themselves by bringing Senor Peña and his Flamenco Vivo to the island. I do not exaggerate when I say that I have not had a more enjoyable night at the theatre in recent memory.
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