Paul Bosauder – Tierra Y Mar, Napier NZ, 2021

Tierra Y Mar - Photo by Andrew Caldwell.

Paul Bosauder – Tierra Y Mar

27th October 2021
MTG Theatre, Napier, New Zealand.

Review by Rob Harbers. Photography by Andrew Caldwell.

Once more, in this insecure time of masks and mandates, needles and nihilism, prophylaxis and pontification, the small but perfectly formed Hawkes Bay Arts Festival shines through with delights to transport us to other realms. The immensely skilled Paul Bosauder has returned from 14 years in Spain, learning the art of Flamenco guitar at its epicentre of Seville, and on this evening with the aid of a wee cadre of local talent, has shared the results of that experience with an appreciative audience.

After a Hawkes Bay day on which the mercury reached levels to match that of the home of this music, the heat was maintained by the passion of the performance on show. Alongside Wellington’s Tristan Carter (violin) and Jessica Garland (dance and rhythm), and local percussion maestro Phill Jones, Paul gave the socially-distanced crowd a masterful exposition of the art of Flamenco. I’ll admit to being a novice to this genre, but I still took a lot away from the experience.

Flamenco is a very expressive style of playing, the range in this show going from delicate, gossamer-thin threads of melody through to the tumultuous and rhythm-heavy. The violin playing added texture, and made for a nice interplay – especially impressive given that Tristan has only been playing this style for four months! Phill’s cajon playing was the perfect subtle accompaniment, allowing the melodic guitar to shine. Jessica’s contribution was a perfect demonstration of what most people probably think of when the word Flamenco is heard-a silky and sinuous dance that dominated the visual sphere in her all-too-brief sojourns on to centre-stage. This black velvet vision captivated the auditorium, providing an extra element of exposition to the musical expression, and a strong percussive element also – not something I’d really considered before, the extent to which the rhythms pumped out by the dancer’s feet are an integral part of the music of themselves.

Flamenco often includes a vocalist – the absence of one being a casualty of Covid, with the intended vocalist unable to travel from Adelaide. This was not an obvious lack in any case, the repertoire being designed to best accentuate and accommodate the lineup. A well-engineered sound mix assisted greatly in this regard also – every note being able to be heard at all points of the theatre.

While the country as a whole is forced to dance with Delta, some areas more intensely than others, the fact that a show such as this is still able to happen is a tribute to organisers of this Festival, who have with great bravery, pushed on in the dance. In a city where Earth and Sea (Tierra Y Mar) meet, we were able to be transported to the other side of the world, if only for a brief period, by the dance of Flamenco, and this is thanks to all who contributed to making this happen.

There’s another performance happening at ToiToi in Hastings on the 29th, so get on to HBAF.co.nz to snap up the last few precious tickets, and get carried away!

Were you there at the MTG Theatre for this brilliant performance? Or have you seen Paul Bosauder – Tierra Y Mar perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Note: The Hawkes Bay Arts Festival provided passes to Ambient Light to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.

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