At the Arpista Ludovico Competition, we have been treated to two concerts of unusual repertoire - or certainly, what is unusual repertoire if you haven't been to South America, which I haven't - by two of the jury members: Maria Celia Machado, Professor of Harp at the Federal University Conservatorio of Rio de Janeiro, and Venezuelan harpist Fernando Guerrero, our jury's President.
Maria Celia champions Brazilian music. She has recently published a book, "Heitor Villa-Lobos, Tradição e Vanguarda na Música Brasileira" (Livraria Francisco Alves - in Portuguese, but if you read Spanish you should be OK), and initiated the Orquestra Brasileira de Harpas. She also created the Trio D'Ambrosio with violinist Aizik Geller and pianist Maria Helena De Andrade, who we heard in concert yesterday. Named after the great Brazilian violinist Paulina D'Ambrosio, the trio specialize in Brazilian programmes that give you a sense of the variety and history in Brazilian music, particularly in the first decades of the twentieth century. For example, their programme for yesterday, Clàssicos Brasileiros, was:
Overture Padre José Maurício (1767 - 1830)
Episódo Sinfônico Francisco Braga (1868 - 1945)
Samba Clássico Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1945)
Grande Valsa Brilhante Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847 - 1986)
INTERVAL
"Abaxo, ó Piques" (maxixe) Chico Bororó (1897 - 1968)
"Num vorto a pé" (cateretê)
"Pontiando à viola" (tango - maxixe)
Valsinha do Marajó Waldemar Henrique (1905 - 1995)
Chorinho
Odeon (Tango Brasileiro) Ernesto Nazareth (1863 - 1934)
Cinco Miniaturas: E. Villani - Côrtes (b.1930)
Preludio, Toada, Choro, Cantiga de Ninar, Baião
Batuque Lorenzo Fernândez (1897 - 1948)
Fernando Guerrero in concert at the sixth Arpista Ludovico international harp competition, June 28th, 2009, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.
Moving from Brazil to Venezuela, Fernando Guerrero provided further food for thought with a programme of diverse South American harp solos in the first half, and flute and harp duos in the second. I love going to concerts where I've never heard of any of the composers before: Rodrigo Riera (Venezuela), Gentil Montaña (Colombia), Agustín Barrios "Mangoré" (Paraguay), Alfredo Carrasco (Mexico)...
Fernando Guerrero is a lawyer by profession, but also a key figure in the Venezuelan harp world. He studied harp at the "José Angel Lamas" music academy in Santa Capilla, Caracas, with Cecilia de Majo (who had been a pupil of Marcel Tournier). He was one of the founders of the Venezuelan National Youth Orchestra, has represented Venezuela at numerous concerts and festivals at home and abroad, and he has also published some extremely interesting scores and books. One of this is a collection of harp solo arrangements of short works by Vicente Emilio Sojo, Antonio Lauro, Juan Bautista Plaza and Moisés Moleiro: Maestros Venezolanos. This has been released under his pseudonym, Fernando Gubry, and is a great addition to your library, especially if you are looking for a new encore.
If you want to start exploring Venezuelan music in depth, Fernando has written an extensive book (under his real name): El Arpa en Venezuela. This is in Spanish, and will inform you in detail about the history and construction of the Venezuelan harp, playing techniques (including with your nails), musical styles and principal composers. There are many musical examples, and a particularly interesting feature is his discussion of music's various cultural settings - in the cities, at parties, and so on. I am reading it incredibly slowly because I don't speak Spanish, but if you are interested in South American music you'll have to learn some Spanish sooner or later anyway. It is, after all, as much a world language as English.
Alexis can already speak Spanish fluently, but with the help of some kind finalists, has also now mastered the first line of the Debussy Dances.
