Product Details

• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Kultur Video
• DVD Release Date: September 27, 2005
• Run Time: 52 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000ARXF6O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,884 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Paco Peña's original concept for this stunning Flamenco Mass sprang from the desire to unite the Catholic perception of the religious Mass to the Flamenco musical tradition. There is a deliberate fusion between a classical musical style and the highly emotional Flamenco 'Art Form.'This unique combination of the religious Mass and Flamenco singing and dancing achieve a very moving experience for both the performers and the viewers.Paco's approach to the composition of the Mass was to adapt the Spanish Catholic Mass set texts and then use his vast knowledge of Flamenco tradition to chose the most effective and appropriate settings for the words.In addition to a basic group of Flamenco artists the Mass includes a choir of at least 20 voices. The solo Flamenco singers are four of the finest in Spain, namely: Diego, La Susi, Guardiana and El Chapero. The guitarists are equally prominent in the world of Flamenco and are led by Paco Peña himself. The music played during the introduction to the program is "Puerto Aguila" taken from Paco Peña's CD, "Azahara."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paco's most popular work, November 30, 2006

By 

Paul Magnussen (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Paco Peña - Misa Flamenca / Diego, La Susi, Guardiana, El Chaparro (DVD)

Paco Peña has been a familiar to figure to British Flamenco-lovers for forty years, and to the flamenco world at large for almost that long. But the work that really brought him to the attention of the public in general, and which is still in continual demand for performances throughout the world, is his Flamenco Mass, first recorded (Nimbus NI 5288) in 1990.

Paco's was not the first Flamenco Mass: there have been several earlier attempts. The most notable was probably that from the 1960's featuring Rafael Romero, Pepe "El Culata" and others, with Serranito and Ramón de Algeciras on guitar (on CD with the Misa Criolla). But Paco's has certainly been the most successful.

There's no denying that these works are strange hybrids, injecting as they do choral interventions into flamenco cantes. And likewise, the lyrics are bizarrely different from those one would normally encounter in these styles. (This is not to deny, of course, that religious motifs play a prominent part in Flamenco; indeed, entire styles, such as saetas, are devoted to them.)

I have always felt that the success of the enterprise was due in no small part to Paco's choice of the artists, and in particular of La Susi, Dieguito and El Chaparro, all of whom appear on the DVD and likewise on the original CD. The wonderful smoky voice of La Susi is well known to aficionados, even though her recorded output of pure Flamenco has been small, considering the length of her career. Rafael "El Chaparro" is not as well known except through his long-standing association with Paco, but I have always thought him very effective and very under-rated. (El Chaparro's son, Rafael hijo, now plays guitar with Paco too.)

The inspiration for the Mass, and the problem of reconciling the thematic elements, are briefly discussed by Paco in a spoken introduction, which is visually interspersed -- as, very effectively is the whole work -- with scenes from Andalusian life. The camera work is varied and interesting (although, strangely, the choir is often heard but seldom seen, which must be annoying for the relatives of those concerned).

The Padre Nuestro features the dancer Raúl, who did not appear on the original CD (unsurprisingly, since it would have been pretty meaningless). Live, or on the video, it's a nice touch.

The sound is Dolby 2.0 stereo. The picture quality is generally good, but on my copy at least, there are some oddities, hard to describe. The picture in general is in the 4:3 aspect ratio of a standard TV, but in the Santo there is a part where the centre of the picture is in colour, but the top and bottom are in black-and-white! In the Padre nuestro, the picture returns to normal.

Also, at 44 minutes 30 seconds in, during a particularly quiet portion of the Canto Eurcarístico, there is a loud squawk of some sort -- due to quite what, I'm not sure.

These things happen on two different DVD players (by different manufacturers); whether they're specific to my particular copy of the DVD, the NTSC version only or the PAL version also, I don't yet know.

There are several spectacular misprints on the cover, from the names of the artists down to "NTCS" for "NTSC". Fortunately, the closing credits on the DVD itself are correct.

In general, though, a most enjoyable DVD.

5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL!!, October 21, 2011

By 

Flamenquita (Panama) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paco Peña - Misa Flamenca / Diego, La Susi, Guardiana, El Chaparro (DVD)

Authentic flamenco music, song and dance in a lovely setting. A delight and a must for flamenco connoisseurs. Happy viewing!