Flamenco pianist David Peña Dorantes was born in Lebrija (Sevilla province), Spain in 1969. He has become a flamenco piano innovator, incorporating jazz, classical music and world music elements to his sound.
His family tree reveals his undisputed roots in flamenco. He is María La Perrata’s grandson, Pedro Peña’s son, Juan Peña de Lebrija’s nephew and a relative of Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera.
Dorantes has collaborated with well-known Spanish and international artists, including Lole Montoya, Alba Molina, Susheela Raman, Renaud Garcia-Fons, El Barrio, Arcángel, Carmen Linares, Miguel Poveda, and José Mercé.
Throughout 2016 and 2017, Dorantes collaborated with Turkish ensemble Taksim Trio. the lineup included Dorantes on piano; Hüsnü Şenlendirici on clarinet and duduk; Ismail Tunçbilek on baglama; Aytaç Doğan on kanun; and Spanish musician Javi Ruibal on drums and percussion.
In 2018, Dorantes composed Ícaro (Icarus) for the Spanish National Ballet.
In 2019, Dorantes presented his new work, La Roda del Viento, inspired by the Spanish-led journey of the first circumnavigation of the earth, started by Magellan and culminated by Elcano. The work was created to celebrate the 5th Centennial. Dorantes invited the listeners to dream, in a flamenco way, the journeys of this fundamental adventure that undoubtedly opened the doors to a new era.
Dorantes submerged the listener in the enthusiasm of the beginning of the trip in Seville in 1519, followed by the uneasiness of the route, the splendor of the unknown, the exhaustion of death, the finding of a new route to the spice lands, and to the final decision to continue the journey. This first circumnavigation, completed by Spanish captain Elcano meant the triumph of a challenge and the beginning of new global relations.
Dorantes composed this work for orchestra and flamenco choir, embarking on a new concept of choral composition, a new path for the use of flamenco voices.
Discography
Orobroy (1999)
Sur (2001)
Sin muros (2012)
Paseo a dos, with Renaud Garcia-Fons (2015)
El Tiempo Por Testigo… A Sevilla (Flamenco Scultura, 2017)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.