Spanish maestro scores every time in something of a game of two halves.

Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

July 18, 2014

There’s no doubting the flair and talent of Brazilian guitarist and composer Yamandú Costa. His ability to put across his own music was clear, particularly in his charismatic solo set. Yet, when a dapper Pepe Romero, at 70 looking and sounding better than ever, took to the stage in the second half, you couldn’t help feeling it was a case of less adding up to more.

First things first. Costa is a master of the violão de 7 cordas (the Brazilian seven-stringed nylon guitar). Dwarfed on the huge Festival Theatre stage, his heavily amplified, meaty sound nevertheless filled the auditorium and he played with great confidence and an impressive musical flamboyance throughout. That sound, however, was on the bass-heavy side, which rather negated the pleasure to be had in seven strings, and left you wishing you could hear him unplugged.

Costa at play brings to mind a gifted teen noodling away in his bedroom. His impassioned riffs, quick fire manual dexterity and occasional vocal meanderings were engaging. He has a cheekiness to his manner too that was infectious, nonchalantly tossing one...