Benise: The Spanish Guitar

Flamenco guitarist Benise conceived this two-act theatrical piece, combining music with elaborately choreographed dance sequences to illustrate a loose narrative about love, loss, and hope, with the guitar serving as an inspiration for stories of glory and tragedy throughout the ages and around the world. Directed by Mark Allen, this PBS-aired multimedia extravaganza integrates Benise's stage appearances with scenes showing him in various exotic locales—Venice, Paris, Havana, the Arabian desert, and an ancient Buddhist temple in India—clad in a variety of striking outfits (he sports a sequin-studded matador jacket and leather pants in the opening number). In some of the performance segments, background musicians add strings and percussion, and a DJ provides samples of the Gipsy Kings, lending the proceedings a postmodern flair (one of numerous elements sure to irritate Flamenco purists). Other pieces feature the Los Angeles Gospel Choir and pop vocalists, including American Idol finalist Kimberly Locke (“Spanish Guitar”) and Giorgia Fumanti (“Evermore: The Wedding Song”), along with saxophone player Dave Koz (“Cuba Libre”). DVD extras include five full-length versions of the globetrotting clips that appear in the main program. A strange hybrid that leaves something to be desired in the execution, this is an optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)