Flamenco singer Esperanza Fernandez & guitarist Richard Marlow at the National Gallery of Art

Flamenco singer Esperanza Fernández and guitarist Richard Marlow at the National Gallery of Art East Building auditorium. November 27, 2011

It's 11-something am on Monday as I type these words. I'm on the quiet second floor of the Starbucks in Georgetown on M St—my new favorite place to "work." Incidentally this is the first blog that I'm publishing via my new iPad which I'm loving so far, although I'm going to have to get a wireless keyboard cuz typing on a tablet screen for hours can get tiring.

Anywayz, yesterday I attended a performance at the National Gallery of Art (Washington DC) by flamenco singer Esperanza Fernández and guitarist Richard Marlow as part of an event organized by the PostClassical Ensemble titled Seeking Spain which also featured "rarely-screened films exploring the spirit of Spain."

Esperanza Fernández. November 27, 2011

The film to be screened in this presentation was Carlos Saura's El Amor Brujo (1986), part of the trilogy of flamenco films that included Carmen (1983) and Bodas de Sangre (1981) which many American flamenco aficionados like myself watched countless times.

Having said that, I have to admit (and I probably speak for many of the aficionados in the audience) I was there just for the live performance which, fortunately, took place before the 100-minute long film.

Richard Marlow. November 27, 2011

Soon after the crowd filled-up the 500 seat auditorium, Esperanza and Richard took the stage. She made a few opening remarks to apologize for not being able to speak in English, to express how pleased she was to be here and to request turning down the lights presumably to set the right ambiente.

She got a laugh from the audience when she asked Richard, "¿Como se dice gracias?" and he replied simply, "Thanks."

Esperanza Fernández. November 27, 2011

It was a brief program consisting of fandangos, alegrías and bulerías. I'm guessing it was 20 minutes long but who knows, I wasn't watching the clock. I was just pleased to finally hear Esperanza live and accompanied by local guitarist Richard Marlow no less. Olé Richard!

UPDATE: a knowledgable friend who was in the audience mentioned to me that it was a Malagueña and not a fandangos. Correct. Here's a flamenco family tree which explains why we're both right.

Esperanza Fernandez and Richard Marlow. November 27, 2011

It's very rare that we have flamenco performances focusing on cante here in DC. Historically, they don't sell very well—hence the reason we see more dance-focused flamenco shows. Not complaining. That's just how it is. Cante is an acquired taste. So in the rare instance we get cante performances here in DC, I try and savor it because it'll likely be a while until the next time.

Esperanza Fernández. November 27, 2011

As you can probably tell from my photos, I didn't get a front row seat. It was a very intimate performance and although it was my self-imposed duty to document this special event for you my readers, out of respect for the artists, I didn't want to destroy the ambience by sitting five feet away and with my obnoxiously large camera lens pointing in their faces.

Sadly there weren't that many flamencos present (and I pretty much know all the flamencos in DC!), but the audience was nonetheless very moved and expressed their gratitude to Esperanza and Richard at the end of the program with a well-deserved standing ovation.

Esperanza Fernández and Richard Marlow. November 27, 2011

If you missed Esperanza and Richard's performance at the National Gallery of Art, no worries. You can still see Esperanza perform with the PostClassical Ensemble in Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo at Georgetown University's Gonda Theatre on Saturday December 3, 2011 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm as well as on Sunday December 4, 2011 at 2:00pm.

Click on the image below to preview and order Esperanza's CD "Recuerdos."