View from our seats at Orchestra Left, Row M, seats 1 and 3. March 6, 2007 9:02pm

The ushers were simultaneously polite and insistent as they rushed us to our seats and for a good reason. As soon as we sat down, the house lights dimmed and several spotlights came onstage to reveal three dancers playing castanets to the accompaniment of Manuel de Falla's La Vida Breve. It was a series of classical Spanish style dances choreographed to several classical pieces closing with Isaac Albéniz's famous Asturias. So far the presentation was very polished, well-staged and immaculately executed, but I don't know....it's been years since I last saw this group. And when I settled into my seat, I was expecting to hear flamenco. Nothing wrong with classical music, mind you, but when your heart is set on flamenco and you hear something else, you can't help but feel a bit disappointed. Despite my misgivings, I tried to reorient myself and enjoy this opening with a clear mind, but still I wasn't "feeling it." If nothing else, I was impressed by Juan Carlos Calleja's pirouettes--he was the taller of the two male dancers.

Not to worry. When the stage went dark after the classical segment of the program, I could make out the silhouettes of the musicians as they found their places in stage center. My dancer friend nudged me and whispered, "Live music!" Yes! the flamenco segment was about to begin, finally!

There might have been a slight miscue because as singer Pedro Sanz sang his opening Ayyy! in the dark, he startled quite a few members of the audience. I even heard a few gasps and giggles for a few moments, but as the sound person quickly found the right level for the singer's microphone, that little bumpy start was soon forgotten as Pedro, guitarists Calvin Hazen, Javier Navarro and a cajón player (not mentioned in the program) hypnotically drew us in to the world of the seguiriya.

[Editor's note: I gotta sign off and head out to Gala Theatre for the 7:30pm show of Bizet's Carmen. In the meantime, read Sarah Kaufman's review in the Washington Post. Ciao for now!]

I'm back--I'll write about Bizet's Carmen in another blog entry.

Anwayz, so where were we? Oh yeah, The musicians were drawing us into the world of seguiriya. Enter the two male dancers Juanjo Garcia and Juan Carlos Calleja wielding wooden canes as a percussive instrument to complement their footwork. As you might expect from a choreography for two males, they took turns trying to show was the better dancer. Although Juan took the prize, so to speak in the opening classical number with his balletic pirouettes, this time Juanjo had an edge in the realm of flamenco. Of course, I enjoyed the cleanly articulated footwork of the two dancers but Juanjo had that extra bit of earthiness that seemed more flamenco. Just before I thought the duel was over, the female dancers made their entrance donning mantones. Nothing remarkable here--just filler leading up to Olga Castro's entrance.

I could have sworn Olga danced a soleá por bulería but when I checked the program afterwards it was labeled as "Solo" in the Suite de la Seguiriya." Help me out here. Did anyone else notice this? Regardless, Olga Castro's solo obviously was the centerpiece of the Suite. Nothing unusual or cutting edge here--very simply, the music and the choreography complemented each other well and the level of energy was tastefully paced leading up to a very satisfying climax.

I wish I knew the name of the cajón player. He was quite good although I was a bit puzzled by his choice in cajón brand: Meinl. I'm not a percussionist myself, but when I tried the Meinl brand at Guitar Center last week. I wasn't impressed. It didn't have that crispness in the treble that I hear in the Mario Cortés brand--the more popular name amongst flamencos. Oh well. Just goes to show that it's not what you have (as far as instrument). It's what you can do with what you have. And despite the dullness of the cajón, he managed to get a decent range of tonal colors--not to mention some really funky counter-rhythms to mesh with the guitars, footwork, palmas and cante.

Finally just want to highlight guitarist Calvin Hazen whose composition for guitar and cante was featured in the second half of the program. For those of you unfamiliar with the palo of Jaleos, it feels a lot like a bulerías. It's more like a half-compás of bulerías played over and over. As far as I could tell, Calvin's version was in the key of E minor--something that I'm playing around with myself. Anywayz, I had heard about Calvin for years. In the USA he's most associated with being a regular at the Festival Flamenco in Albuquerque---according to the program bio, he currently performs at the tablao Corral de la Moreria in Madrid. He's got all the technique and aire that I'd expect from a flamenco guitarist born and raised in Spain. Excellent musician and a very tasteful accompanist for the dance and cante. All I can say, is that when I got home, I was very inspired to try out some new musical ideas for accompanying dancers. Thank you Calvin!

Final bows. March 6, 2007 9:56pm

After the show, we got a private tour of the facilities including a visit to the topmost balcony to better appreciate the cavernous expanse of the Strathmore Music Center.

My dancer friend checking out the view from the precariously high balcony. March 6, 2007 10:07pm

The railing here comes up to around my knee. I think the builders were making a compromise between safety and maximizing the line of sight. Needless to say, you can't help but feel a bit queasy walking along the edge. Although, just out of curiousity I might come back here to here a symphony orchestra just to appreciate the acoustics. I imagine by the time the sound reaches the topmost balcony, all the different instrument sounds must be either a cacophonic mess or a beautifully blended mix.

March 6, 2007 10:07pm

Why the pic of the tickets with the program? I don't know. Just habit. I can remember when I took Dance 101 and Music 101 as a freshman and part of the assignment was to turn in the program with a ticket attached to prove that we actually went to the concert. Hehe.

March 7, 2007 12:12am

OK, it's 1:45pm. I'm outta here. Tonight I'll be at the Andalucía playing solo guitar.