One of the areas where flamenco finds most room for evolution is in the instrumentation. It happened with the guitar, which stole the show during the second half of the last century. It’s a matter of fact that there are legions of flamenco musicians out there who’ve mostly been relegated to the role of accompanist until now, their instruments previously considered alien to this artform. In the case of the piano, even though it’s considered one of the most ‘sophisticated’ instruments to move into flamenco territory, it wasn’t until the end of the 90s that the first truly noteworthy artistic results were produced. One name that stood out in this musical revolution is that of David Peña Dorantes, an ambassador of a style of flamenco piano where instead of imitating vocals or guitar, the instrument’s harmonic and melodic possibilities are truly exploited.

On Sur (South), his second album, Dorantes continues where he left off in Orobroy (Musings), his début album, in terms of the production and style of the compositions. So here we find a series of pieces which revolve around well-known and repetitive motifs, truly daring, and with brilliant epic cinematic arrangements. 'Caravana de los Zincalí' (Zincali caravan) or 'Batir de alas' (Beating of wings) for example, where the pianist from Lebrija boasts the support of the mighty Radio Sofia Symphony Orchestra, or a Bulgarian girls choir.

Flamenco rhythms still largely dominate this disc: bulerías on 'A ritmo de berza', (Cabbage pace) or tanguillos on 'El mentidero' (the gossip house) are the clearest examples. And alongside them we find a knowing tip of the hat to nationalist piano on 'Niñez' (Childhood). And there’s a splash of vocals too, supplied here by Esperanza Fernández on 'Di, di, Ana'.

But in addition to all this, Dorantes presents a new side to his work on Sur. We’re introduced to a handful of pieces with an improvised flavour and a strong rhythmic undercurrent, almost characteristic of swing. On these pieces Dorantes introduces a series of variations around a theme, and even sets up dialogues back and forth with members of the group like Nacho Gil or Teodossi Spassov, looking for more elusive, modal harmonic resolutions. Pieces such as 'Danza de las sombras' (Dance of the Shadows), 'Barrio Latino' or the title track, all of which are undoubtedly among the most outstanding moments on the recording.

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