Musicals & Opera Reviews

Art Of BelievingFlamenco

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VENUE: theSpaceTriplex

TIME: 9:15pm – 10:20pm, 2–24 Aug

TICKETS: £10

There’s a world of world music to explore at the Fringe, from Japanese drumming, to all-American bluegrass, to West African rap, to traditional Korean sanjo. For a hint of Spanish soul, though, you needn’t look any further than Art

Of Believing, an hour of full-throttle flamenco from Andalusia-born,

Misha’s Gang: Strings on Fire

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VENUE: theSpace @ Niddry St

TIME: times and dates vary between 2–24 Aug

TICKETS: £10.50 – £12.50

This ensemble of brilliant young Russian string players is not only a group of accomplished and internationally renowned classical musicians, although that alone would justify seeing them play. They manage to deliver two seemingly contradictory experiences within a single show: the grandeur of a string orchestra—reduced in number, but

Scotland-based guitarist Daniel Martinez and his seven-strong company.

The show, a condensed version of a concert that has been successfully touring the UK since 2017, consists of seven songs, played in a variety of flamenco styles – opening number ‘Mar del Norte’ is a soulful taranta, ‘Jugando con el Tiempo’ a gradually building seguiriya, ‘El Portillo’ a rich, rollicking tango.

At the centre of it all is Martinez. Bearded, but with boyish good looks and a soft, swift Spanish accent, he’s a remarkable musician. His left hand spiders up and down the frets of his classical guitar at lightning speed, while his right plucks and strums with infinite intricacy.

Martinez moved to Edinburgh from his native Cordoba in 2015, and, he says, is very happy here. Hence the title of the show’s fourth number, ‘Alegria En Escocia’, which translates simply as Happy In Scotland. A Celtic tinge creeps in in the following number, too, which ends with a spiralling violin solo.

Martinez is joined by his company—two support guitarists, two wailing singers, and a violinist—and by his manager and fiancé Gabriela Pouso, who dances gracefully through a few songs. All eyes, though, are on him and his miraculous hands. ✏ Fergus Morgan certainly not in impact—and the intimacy and sheer fun of a smaller and defiantly less traditional performance.

To watch Misha’s Gang— assembled by the Moscow-born violinist and conductor Misha Rachlevsky into one of the very few Russian classical companies that does not rely on state funding—is to appreciate musicians who can both adapt Rossini, Mendelssohn, Copeland and more to the modest surroundings of theSpace, and transcend them.

The role of a conductor is an ancient debate, and Misha’s gang will not settle it. However, they provide ample evidence that the personality of the individual holding the baton can be reflected in the music they direct. Fortunately, Rachlevsky is tremendously able, but also infected with a mischievous quality displayed through the music itself and through his interactions with the audience, which inform but never overwhelm or distract from the beauty of his players.

If one requires proof of this, there is a moment in the performance that demonstrates just how much influence a conductor can have on the music with which they are charged. The novelty of this is surprisingly worthwhile, but the gang’s repertoire should please and delight anyone, whether they be familiar with these famous compositions or not. ✏

Sean Bell