Concert Review

Flamenco guitarist enlivens Sunday afternoon concert in Newburgh

By James F. Cotter

For the Times Herald Record

December 3, 2005

Maria Zemantauski, internationally-acclaimed flamenco guitarist, returned to her native Newburgh Sunday afternoon for a concert with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Quartet at the landmark Calvary Presbyterian Church.

In a concert sponsored by the Newburgh Chamber Music Series, Zemantauski soloed with a set of flamenco songs from various traditions and then joined the quartet for a guitar concerto. It was an afternoon of Spanish music at its best, full of life, musicality and dance. Zemantauski, who is also an educator, explained each number as a facet of its native culture.

The program began with the quartet, violinists Carole Cowan and Marka Young, violist Valentina Charlap-Evans and cellist Susan Seligman playing Scarlatti’s Sonata a Quarto in D minor, one of the first works composed for this ensemble. All the quartets to come resonated in the opening allegro with its swift upsweeping tempo taking the three-note motif to repeated variations.

The slow movement that followed moved from solemn, meditative chords with low cello bass to a swift allegro and minuet, played without pause to a concise, expressive conclusion. The quartet executed the intricate measures with a precision and fluidity that was a pleasure to hear.

Zemantauski next performed a solo selection from the traditional and Nuevo flamenco repertoire, including some of her own compositions and adaptations. Beginning with a familiar “malaguena”, deep-voiced and passionate, she moved to a tempo-swift “soleares” and whirling “bulerias”, thumping on the guitar in rhythm. Two of her own pieces, a drumming “Chanteuse” and a tango-driven “Midnight in Gibraltar”, took off with lightning strumming and dramatic beat, topped by “Paprika”, a seamless display of her leaping long fingers and boundless energy. As she played, one could hear the singers’ voices and the stamp of the dancers in the sound of the guitar.

After intermission, guitarist and quartet joined in playing Boccherini’s Quartet for Strings and Guitar in D Major, “Fandango”. The first movement is a pastoral of dulcet melodies and springlike measures, with the upbeat allegro that follows, lyrical and building to a tutti flourish. The final movement is the titled “Fandango” that allows the guitarist to strum and pluck notes in high spirits and running cascades. It was a joyous finale to a unique afternoon of Romany music turned classical and played with ardor and intelligence.