Lucero Tena, maestro of castanets

April 28, 2015 12:35 PM

Lucero Tena (Spanish) has amazing rhythm and control, as seen and heard in her dancing, tapping, clapping and snapping, but she is best known for her mastery of the castanets, used in accompaniment to a solo guitar along with her dancing, and perhaps more impressively, as a solo instrument in front of an orchestra there in a piece specifically written for her and her castanets. She may not dance any more, but her skill with the castanets is still astonishing. If you're lucky, you can catch her in a live performance.
posted by filthy light thief (13 comments total)

If you enjoy her artistry, there's a treasure trove of videos of her various performances on YouTube, going back decades. One thing I didn't include were any of her performances in Carmen. I'll resolve that with this performance with Berliner Philharmonie (2013).

This fantastic artist was brought to my attention by Presurfer.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:50 PM on April 28, 2015

In retaliation I give you some dudes with spoons.
posted by pipeski at 12:52 PM on April 28, 2015

Her dress in that first youtube link is out of control! Thanks for all the links. Is there a European culture that's more sexy and simultaneously scary than Spain's?
posted by sleevener at 1:36 PM on April 28, 2015

My jaw is still at half drop over the orchestral piece. I could not take my eyes off her. What an artist!
posted by halfbuckaroo at 3:05 PM on April 28, 2015

That was amazing, I've got a whole new appreciation for the castanets.
posted by fido~depravo at 3:11 PM on April 28, 2015

Never has Youtube's audio timelag been more infuriating.
posted by gottabefunky at 3:41 PM on April 28, 2015

This is her too? Damn.
posted by gottabefunky at 3:43 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

Yup, there are a ton of great videos from all periods of her life, including some fantastic black and white videos, like the one you linked. I had trouble limiting my post to a few videos.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:52 PM on April 28, 2015

Never has Youtube's audio timelag been more infuriating.

Right? UGH. But she is amazing, thanks for introducing me to her.
posted by tristeza at 7:52 PM on April 28, 2015

Ok this is one of those things that maybe people with musical training or inclination may see as obvious, so it may just be a big "duh" to most of you reading this, but just in case you missed it (as did a few of my friends who I showed this to, which is why I'm posting this PSA):

Watch the "solo instrument" and "astonishing" videos again, and pay real close attention to the tone of the castanets as they reverberate. You will eventually notice that SHE IS PLAYING THE CASTANETS IN TUNE THE ENTIRE TIME. Like, playing melodies and arpeggios with them, harmonizing with the orchestra in counterpoint, due to the instrument's limited range.

In other words not only is her timing and sense of rhythm inhumanly good, she's also like "fuck it, I can play this song" and just plays along with the orchestra

MUSIC IS SO FUCKING AWESOME.
posted by jake at 10:51 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

A wonderful post, filthy light thief. Muchas gracias!
posted by On the Corner at 2:38 AM on April 29, 2015

My wife always tells her flamenco students that the castañuelas will be the hardest thing to learn, and I can confirm, as a musician, that they are really hard! Then you're supposed to play them and dance! Love maestra Lucero, she's amazing (and a special thanks of the videos of her dancing. I hadn't seen those before)
posted by pt68 at 7:20 AM on April 29, 2015

Her dress in that first youtube link is out of control!

I beg to differ. Every single thing in every single frame of that video is as far from out of control as it's possible to be.
posted by merlynkline at 5:06 AM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]