BWW Reviews: ADELAIDE FRINGE 2015: VALENTINO FLAMENCO ENSEMBLE Added Spanish Heat To A Hot Adelaide Day

Reviewed by Ray Smith, Saturday 14th February 2015

The performance by the Valentino Flamenco Ensemble at the Lotus Palace at Gluttony began with a percussive and lively solo piece by Valentino. No introductions, no comments just straight down to business.

Flamenco playing is a very physical business and to perform such strenuous music in a tent on a day with temperatures in the low 40s Celsius would not be my idea of a good time.

Guitarist, Valentino, was flawless in his opening piece, but I did begin to worry for the dancers, waiting to take to the stage in the oppressive heat, but take to the stage they did.

The rest of the ensemble took their places. From stage right sat two palmistas (hand clappers), then the vocalist, Valentino himself in the centre, Adelaide guitarist, Alain Valodze, sat close to the leader, to his left, the bassist, and finally, at stage left, the cajón (percussion) player.

The first two dancers braved the heat and took to the stage with great energy, their whirling shawls bringing some welcome air movement to the stifling venue.

The bassist frowned at her score as a technician quietly and surreptitiously attended to a technical problem with her equipment, and Valodze, with knotted brow, 'tended his knitting', as Valentino conducted while playing. There were obviously some timing issues on that stage and the entire ensemble seemed a little tense. It should be noted that this particular ensemble was comprised of members from both Melbourne and Adelaide and I wondered how much rehearsal they had been able to organise before this show.

The third dancer began and the music gelled a little but the musicians still did not relax, their concentration palpable as they valiantly battled a problem that was invisible to the majority of the small but enthusiastic audience.

It was then that it happened. The first palmista rose from her seat to dance and everything changed. Instantly, the music coalesced, the timing was perfect, the atmosphere on stage became relaxed and Alain Valodze cracked his familiar smile.

Not so relaxing for the audience though as they sat open-mouthed, their gaze locked onto the extraordinary beauty of Flamenco. Real, honest to goodness, no holds barred Flamenco. This dancer wasn't just good, she was absolutely breathtaking.

The temperature in the already sweltering venue rose by several degrees as she threw herself into the dance, the musicians responding with superb playing. All the tension had gone and we were treated to virtuoso performances from two truly great guitarists, their rippling lines punctuated by flourishes of rasgueado and shouts of encouragement from the vocalist.

Valentino shared the vocals and, while his voice is more than up to the job, it did pale a little in comparison to the main singer.

It was, in the end, an excellent show, enjoyed by all, and it was a smiling audience that rose from the uncomfortable metal seats to return to the relative cool of a 40C degree Adelaide summer afternoon.

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