Dorantes & Renaud García-Fons. Flamenco a cordes. Bienal de Sevilla 2014.

The privilege of working in press is, without a doubt, the possibility of enjoying wonderful shows. Watching top level artists is a pleasure and, even more, if you are and music enthusiast in general and particularly flamenco, as in my case. I’ve had the opportunity of watching Dorantes some times and I feel lucky, since I have not only enjoyed his concerts but, year by year, I have noticed the development of an artist who seems to be known only by the old Orobroy.

David Peña has not only grown as a musician in the last years, but he has made his music grown with himself. He has shown curiosity for the research and, as a lucky spectator who has enjoyed his music more than once, I can say I have never seen him surrounded by the same artists. Either with Esperanza Fernández, either with Diego Amador, with El Lebrijano, with Joaquín Grilo or with Renaud García-Fons, the master from Lebrija always places a big bet on the growth in every stage he overtakes and gives the fans a great gift letting us see his incredible capacity to blend into the environment with different music and musicians he gets involved. With a crowded Lope de Vega, David Peña and Renaud García-Fons came out to delight us. There were some influences from the artists’ previous plays and there was improvisation as well. The copper was pounded in times of bulería in a soleá style first and fabulous cares- tangos next, these much more recognizable, more flamenco and with less jazz air. Soleá makes Dorantes expand himself, leaving a proof of how flamenco his piano is, putting tons of jondura and making a great show of the lineage he belongs to.

The piano alone transmuted in an emotional roller coaster that carried us from an almost minimalist fineness to a jazz storm in a good time out of breath. García-Fons came back to the scene to transform his double bass in a lute, with just the percussion of his bow he knew how to turn the sound from Arabian music to cello, from cello to violin with impossible harmonics and again to double bass, in tangos morunos of a superior quality. Likewise he took control of the stage with a brilliant solo, where he got impossible sounds from his instrument and got along well with the audience with a startling intimacy. Dorantes came back to the scene to make a breakdown of some Tarantos which lengthened to infinity in a masterful game of choruses.

After first applause from a theatre stood up, musicians came back to the stage to play seguiriyas and, one more time after another ovation, performed a second bis with a gorgeous version of La caravan de los Zoncalí.

It is now time to talk about Dorantes since he is the flamenco of this duet, but it is unnecessary saying Renaud García-Fons is a genius with his instrument. David Peña on his behalf, uses up generosity on the stage, simplicity and he knows how to move freely between the orthodoxy, piano and jazz each time more at ease.

Flamenco en vivo    Edición    27/03/2015