Jose Carbo, baritone
Slava Grigoryan, guitar
Leonard Gregoryan, guitar
The Street Theatre 27 - 28 February 2014
Review by Len Power 27 February 2014
When
artists say their CD is on sale in the foyer after the show, you don’t expect
nearly the entire audience to buy one!
Well, that’s what happened at The Street Theatre on Thursday night after
the performance of ‘My Latin Heart’ with vocals by Jose Carbo and guitar
accompaniment by Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.
Australian
baritone, Jose Carbo, was born in Argentina and migrated to Australia at an
early age. It was while working as a
builder that he began singing seriously and the rest is history. Now a highly sought after performer on the
world’s opera stages, in ‘My Latin Heart’, Jose Carbo returns to the music of
his heritage. Also Australians, Slava
and Leonard Gregoryan, are internationally renowned guitarists of Russian
background with both separate and combined careers which reach beyond the
classical repertoire.
 |
| Slava Grigoryan, Jose Carbo and Leonard Grigoryan |
‘My
Latin Heart’ was a feast of memorable music by these superb performers. Of the three songs by Astor Piazzola, the
highlight was an extraordinary ‘Ave Maria’, sung with great feeling by Jose
Carbo to an intricate and fascinating accompaniment by the two guitarists. Several tangos were nicely sung and played
including the favourite tango of Jose Carbo’s grandmother, called ‘Caminito’ or
‘Little Path’ by Juan de Dios Filiberto.
Other memorable songs were ‘El Choclo’ by Angel Villoldo, ‘My Beloved
Buenos Aires’ by Carlos Gardel and the well-known, ‘Granada’, by Agustin Lara. Often ruined by over-the-top performances,
‘Granada’ was sung by Jose Carbo with genuine emotion that was quite arresting.
While Jose Carbo took a well-earned
break, Slava and Leonard Grigoryan performed two movements from Astor
Piazzola’s ‘Tango Suite’ and, in the second half of the show, two contrasting
Brazilian pieces, the second of which demonstrated particularly their amazing
skills playing together.
All
three performers showed great rapport with the audience, speaking simply and
directly about their music, sharing moments of humour and making it a very
relaxed and enjoyable evening of music.
While singing, Jose Carbo remained seated with the Gregoryan Brothers, creating
an informal atmosphere that drew the audience in with a welcoming intimacy.
The
fine lighting by Gillian Schwab gave the performers a warm glow that enhanced
the intimate atmosphere. At one point,
Jose Carbo asked for the house lights to be raised slightly so he could see
everyone in the audience better, which was a nice touch. He used a hand microphone expertly while
singing and the sound amplification level was just right.
To
have an opportunity to hear Jose Carbo and the Grigoryan Brothers performing
together was an opportunity not to be missed.
If you did miss it, there’s always the CD of the show available on ABC
Classics. Judging by the response of the
large audience on Thursday night, they’ll be back again for sure.
Originally broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 ‘Dress
Circle’ program on Sunday 2 March 2014.