Hi mates!
Here I am, whiling away the long rainy evening and listening to what is possibly my favourite album of all time, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (I’ll never grow tired, however many times I’ve – literally - flipped with it). So I’ve decided to put pen to paper and contribute something for the music section of our great blog. You know, last Saturday I went to see Paco de Lucia in concert at the Multiusos. I’d listened to many of Paco’s famous records before, but this was going to be the first time to watch him live. You see, my son David, a keen guitarist himself, and my father-in-law, a self-confessed flamenco enthusiast, were accompanying me to the event. They both had been lucky enough to watch him on another ocassion at the same venue a few years prior to his temporary retirement from the music scene. But now he was back into the limelight, and I thought, well, I can’t fail to see him again, can I?
So there we were, the three of us, up in the gods (you know, the upper gallery of seats, or, very appropriately, the peineta, as the best floor stalls were sold out – so much for the crisis!), ready for some flamenco music with a modern feel to it, as the maestro of Algeciras wisely combines the duende of the Andalusian genre with more modern sounds. You see, he’s helped on a very plain stage (barely a few plants at the back) by a proficient band of musicians (among them not only another flamenco guitarist and the inevitable palmeros/cantaores but also a keyboardist and a bassist) who often give Paco’s pieces an almost jazzy touch. But the distinct flamenco essence always lingers in his songs, no matter what.
The long-awaited show ran for a solid two hours and twenty minutes (mind you, there was a 15-minute intermission halfway through it), during which the guitar genius delighted the diehard fans with extended versions of his most recognizable hits (Almoraima, Zyriab, Fuente y Caudal, … you name it). Now and then, some among the audience (gypsies, no doubt) would shout at the top of their voices the enthusiastic oles amidst the indifferent, always stern gesture of the genius (I could get a close-up of his wrinkled face aided by a very handy pair of binoculars). You see, being an Andalusian through and through, he’s never been the funniest man on earth, let alone an otherwise generally fun-loving land like Andalucia. Only a few hardly audible words of appreciation did he utter during the whole show, but not even a much obliged “Thank you, Salamanca”. And I couldn’t help feeling that nowadays, already in his mid 60s, after an illustrious career that has spanned since 1965 no less, Mr Paco de Lucia is sort of bored with gigs and audiences, but his hard-earned, well-deserved reputation as arguably one of the best guitarists in history is more than enough to still fill venues like Multiusos to their capacity.
Now, are you getting the impression that I didn’t enjoy the concert? Well not really, I mean, who can deny Don Francisco's talent, his impeccable technique and precision guitar playing (though my knowledgeable son sometimes whispered to me “Dad, he made a mistake at that note”) but anyway I must admit that now and then I was getting, as it were, cold feet. Personally, some pieces just went on too long amid, I can concede, fine impromptus by his musicians as well as some magnificent dancing – to many in the audience, it seems, the highlight of the night judging by the after-show comments –from a speedy bailaor (can’t remember his name) who tapped his feet like mad on the tablao (wow, too many Spanish words, I guess!)
But who cares about the lengthy songs, the austere, almost aloof performer, even an average sound, though not bad considering the inherently poor acoustics of the venue, when right in front of you is the one and only Paco, el de Lucia, a true guitar wizard, OLE!! And to end the show, no surprises, the inevitable Entre dos Aguas, the song that shot him to international stardom, even if he took some time to go for it despite the insistent “encore, encore” shouts.
Well, this review was pretty long, wasn’t it? Hope you didn’t get too bored. If you did, perhaps I can draw a laugh or two now: the maestro is, not surprisingly, renowned for his scarce TV interviews, at least on home soil. But funnily enough, you can see him here not only performing but above all speaking, yes, another variety of English, what I call Inglés de Cádiz ( ha ha!). I mean, you'll have to do your best to understand the younger Paco, and I'm sure you will, as the captions are in ... Polish. Enjoy!
Here I am, whiling away the long rainy evening and listening to what is possibly my favourite album of all time, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (I’ll never grow tired, however many times I’ve – literally - flipped with it). So I’ve decided to put pen to paper and contribute something for the music section of our great blog. You know, last Saturday I went to see Paco de Lucia in concert at the Multiusos. I’d listened to many of Paco’s famous records before, but this was going to be the first time to watch him live. You see, my son David, a keen guitarist himself, and my father-in-law, a self-confessed flamenco enthusiast, were accompanying me to the event. They both had been lucky enough to watch him on another ocassion at the same venue a few years prior to his temporary retirement from the music scene. But now he was back into the limelight, and I thought, well, I can’t fail to see him again, can I?
So there we were, the three of us, up in the gods (you know, the upper gallery of seats, or, very appropriately, the peineta, as the best floor stalls were sold out – so much for the crisis!), ready for some flamenco music with a modern feel to it, as the maestro of Algeciras wisely combines the duende of the Andalusian genre with more modern sounds. You see, he’s helped on a very plain stage (barely a few plants at the back) by a proficient band of musicians (among them not only another flamenco guitarist and the inevitable palmeros/cantaores but also a keyboardist and a bassist) who often give Paco’s pieces an almost jazzy touch. But the distinct flamenco essence always lingers in his songs, no matter what.
The long-awaited show ran for a solid two hours and twenty minutes (mind you, there was a 15-minute intermission halfway through it), during which the guitar genius delighted the diehard fans with extended versions of his most recognizable hits (Almoraima, Zyriab, Fuente y Caudal, … you name it). Now and then, some among the audience (gypsies, no doubt) would shout at the top of their voices the enthusiastic oles amidst the indifferent, always stern gesture of the genius (I could get a close-up of his wrinkled face aided by a very handy pair of binoculars). You see, being an Andalusian through and through, he’s never been the funniest man on earth, let alone an otherwise generally fun-loving land like Andalucia. Only a few hardly audible words of appreciation did he utter during the whole show, but not even a much obliged “Thank you, Salamanca”. And I couldn’t help feeling that nowadays, already in his mid 60s, after an illustrious career that has spanned since 1965 no less, Mr Paco de Lucia is sort of bored with gigs and audiences, but his hard-earned, well-deserved reputation as arguably one of the best guitarists in history is more than enough to still fill venues like Multiusos to their capacity.
Now, are you getting the impression that I didn’t enjoy the concert? Well not really, I mean, who can deny Don Francisco's talent, his impeccable technique and precision guitar playing (though my knowledgeable son sometimes whispered to me “Dad, he made a mistake at that note”) but anyway I must admit that now and then I was getting, as it were, cold feet. Personally, some pieces just went on too long amid, I can concede, fine impromptus by his musicians as well as some magnificent dancing – to many in the audience, it seems, the highlight of the night judging by the after-show comments –from a speedy bailaor (can’t remember his name) who tapped his feet like mad on the tablao (wow, too many Spanish words, I guess!)
But who cares about the lengthy songs, the austere, almost aloof performer, even an average sound, though not bad considering the inherently poor acoustics of the venue, when right in front of you is the one and only Paco, el de Lucia, a true guitar wizard, OLE!! And to end the show, no surprises, the inevitable Entre dos Aguas, the song that shot him to international stardom, even if he took some time to go for it despite the insistent “encore, encore” shouts.
Well, this review was pretty long, wasn’t it? Hope you didn’t get too bored. If you did, perhaps I can draw a laugh or two now: the maestro is, not surprisingly, renowned for his scarce TV interviews, at least on home soil. But funnily enough, you can see him here not only performing but above all speaking, yes, another variety of English, what I call Inglés de Cádiz ( ha ha!). I mean, you'll have to do your best to understand the younger Paco, and I'm sure you will, as the captions are in ... Polish. Enjoy!
Hello folks!
Well, I can't think of a better way to "premiere" this music spot than an opera review, written by one of you. Whether you like the genre or not, you have to admit there's some passion and grandeur into it ...
Elena (2NA):
As some of you know, last week was my introduction to opera.
I, like many people I hope, had listened to opera before, but maybe not in a very conscious way, I’m afraid. I mean, I had listened to some radio programmes, while I was doing the chores or chatting on the phone. Not the most "correct" way, is it?
The thing is that last Thursday I attended a pre-recorded exhibition of "Cosí fan tutte" by W.A. Mozart, which was performed at the Salzburg Festival 2009, with Adam Fischer as a conductor. Frankly, I was expecting a more complicated wardrobe, a fat lady, an old-fashioned story about honour and pride, as well as unintelligible songs and arias.
My first shock was the stage production (by Claus Guth): so modern, so elegant, so intelligent.. With very few elements he creates a real atmosphere, very close and captivating.
Then, the characters: they sing (of course), dance and act. Just think how complicated singing an aria can be while you are writhing in fake, deep pain and sadness. And I must say that the singing and the acting were ... incredible! Accurate, moving, heartfelt indeed.
The plot was both old and modern, ageless: the fidelity between the brides and grooms, the suspicion, the practical jokes, the remorse. Fortunately, the play was subtitled, so (since I can’t understand Italian at all) I was able to absorb the pith of the story as well as identify some Italian words and enjoy their musicality.
Last but not least, these are a few reflections of mine:
a) Can you ever imagine that a singing-story that is over 200 years old would be so modern?
b) Who, among our best known singers (¿), will last 200 years, with all their power?
c) Seeing an opera live must be great!!
Well, I think I´m still a bit shocked, ha, ha, but definitely it was worth it!!
If you're interested you can find more details on this link.
Thanks so much Elena, well done! Now this is one of the YouTube clips you can find on the link above. Mind you, the subtitles are in German, unfortunately.
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