Sunday Concert Series: The Lament of the Guitar

Sunday 18 October, 6.00pm
Tickets: $35 / $20 concession

The Wallace Arts Centre is proud to host an eclectic array of musicians and musical genres at the Pah Homestead. In its ongoing commitment to support and provide opportunities for live performance, the Wallace Arts Trust is delighted to present an evening of live Flamenco guitar, violin, dance, song and poetry... entertaining, charming, light, romantic, profound.    

The Flamenco Recital, created by Maria Elena, (Flamenco NZ), is named after and inspired by the poem La Guitarra and is a homage to Federico García Lorca, one of Spain's greatest poets and playwrights.
Performers include Maria Elena (Guitar & Song), Alexandra Laubli (Violin), Krasna Martinic Ristori (Dance), Oden Pemberton (Guitar), Kay Brown (Dance & Narrator), and Daniel Fernandez (Poetry Recital).

The Lament of the Guitar or El Llanto de la Guitarra in Spanish is a poem by famous Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936). Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of ‘27, a group consisting of mostly poets who introduced the tenets of European movements (such as symbolism, futurism, and surrealism) into Spanish literature. He is believed to have been killed by Nationalist forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. His remains have never been found.

“The lament of the guitar begins” is the opening line of the poem, and it is repeated two lines later. ... Finally, this instrument that evokes so many poignant feelings itself becomes a metaphor : “Oh, guitar!/ Heart grievously wounded/ by five swords.” It is a splendid example of a García Lorca metaphor.

The performers pictured are: Alexandra Laubli, Kay Brown, Maria Elena, and Krasna Martinic Ristori. Photos by Nina Gastreich and Claudio Castro.