Con la Capilla del Sol (grupo que dirijo) nos presentamos el 18 de mayo en el Ciclo de Conciertos Pilar Golf estrenando nuestro programa "Vengan a la fiesta" (música de los conventos femeninos de la América Colonial). Hace unos días publiqué la crítica que escribió Margarita Pollini para Ámbito Financiero, hoy posteo a continuación el texto de la nota de Pablo Bardin para el Buenos Aires Herald. La crítica es "compartida", ya que se refiere a nuestro concierto y en los párrafos finales reseña también una presentación de la Academia Bach de Buenos Aires (para demarcar claramente cada sección, cambié el color de la tipografía en la sección que habla de la Academia). ah! es en inglés (lo lamento por aquellos que no comprendan el texto).
A continuación, y lleno de orgullo, posteo la nota:
Welcome
renovation from some musical groups
By Pablo Bardin, for the Herald
No matter the final result of the concert, I always
welcome enterprise in programming, for it involves risk, considering the
intellectual laziness of a high percentage of the audiences. So organisations
and artists that do pioneering work in making known valuable but neglected
repertoires have my sympathy and support.
“Our” Ramiro Albino, who prepares weekly his column
Critic´s Choice for the Herald, is an expert on the Baroque, and ten years ago
he founded at the Museo Fernández Blanco
Capilla del Sol, a vocal-instrumental ensemble fully dedicated to
Latin-American Baroque. It wouldn´t be possible without the intelligent and
sensitive work of the Museum´s Director, Jorge Cometti, and of the Musical
Coordinator Leila Makarius. They fully understand the cultural weight and
contribution to the diffusion of this music that Capilla del Sol symbolizes.
The group has made two CDs and is waiting for the money to record as a third CD
precisely what we heard in the concert I am reviewing: “Vengan a la Fiesta” (“Come to the Feast
or Celebration”): Music of the women´s convents of Colonial America.
For one reason or another last year I couldn´t attend
any of the concerts of the Conciertos Pilar Golf subscription series. Now in
their ninth season, they offer eight concerts programmed and presented by
Graciela Nobilo. Although I feel that the total programming veers a bit too much
to crossover, most of what they offer give those that either live in Pilar or
have weekend houses at the countries of the area a stimulating night of music,
generally with well-chosen artists. It´s worth doing the hour trip from our
city to attend these concerts.
In this case they plunged into the unknown with
Capilla del Sol´s two-part programme, presented with vehement enthusiasm by
Albino. As it is a newly concocted project, I surmise that all was heard as a
premiere. Part I, “The Mass”, centered
on a “Misa a duo y bajo de la escoleta (school) de Bethlehem (Colegio de San
Miguel, Belén, México) by Mariano Soberanis; this rather beautiful music
similar to contemporary eighteenth-century Spanish masses was heard
interspersed with Verses for organ (short pieces usually in fugal style played
between parts of a mass) by Marcos Vega
and Anonymous from Belén and Puebla. The First Part ended with “Con suavidad de
voces” by the Mexican Juan de Vaeza, a “chansoneta” (“canzonet”) to accompany
the profession of “Theresica la chiquita”, who entered a Puebla convent.
The Second Part was “La Fiesta”, for there was
festive music in the convents. We had a varied panorama. Three anonymous pieces
from the Guatemalan Convent of Santa Eulalia: a charming “Pabanilla” (short
pavan) for recorder, finely played by Albino; and two vocal pieces, “María de
solo un buelo” (orthography was different then) and “Oy hazemos fiesta todas”,
very spry. Then, a Bogotá seventeenth-century “villancico de negros”, for
indeed black people had their own Christian music (I suppose there were black
nuns). An unannounced piece for two voices took the place of another that was
in the hand programme. Then, “Para divertir al niño” (a reference to the infant
Christ) by the Lima composer Eustaquio Franco Rebollo. And finally, “Oygan,
escuchen, atiendan” by Manuel de Mesa y Carrizo, from Sucre´s National Archive,
a “jacarilla” (short “jácara”, a tune for singing and dancing) for the
Conception of Our Lady. Charming, joyful music, with a popular feeling.
In this particular instance Capilla del Sol was
integrated by four sopranos, two contraltos and six players. Although there
were a few vocal discordances and the organ playing wasn´t completely accurate,
the spirit of the music was strongly communicated. Albino´s arduous work of
finding the materials and infusing them with life was admirable. Some of the
sources were provided by such illustrious musicologist friends of mine as
Waldemar Axel Roldán and Diana Fernández Calvo. An excellent interview of
Albino by Daniel Varacalli Costas gave first-rate information in the hand
programme.
Once a year the Academia Bach occupies for two nights
the wonderful main hall of the Museo Larreta, with its ideal intimate ambience
and acoustics for the Baroque. This time our best young cellist, José Araujo,
gave a recital accompanied by harpsichordist Matías Targhetta. The programme
followed the central idea of this year´s cycle: Bach and the Dresden Court.
From Johann Sebastian, two important works: the “Italian Concerto”, played
correctly rather than brilliantly by Targhetta; and the very difficult Suite Nº
6, where Araujo gave us good work, with
manly, true sound and clean articulation; some small smudges made no serious
dent on his accomplishment. This Suite has the added problem of having been
written for a five-stringed “viola pomposa”, an instrument similar to the cello
but with an ampler range of three octaves; to play it in the four-stringed
cello is quite a feat.
The other pieces were by Italians that worked at or
for the Dresden Court. Francesco Veracini´s “Overture and aria” for cello and
continuo (harpsichord) was interesting
and chromatic, though it´s a pity that in a programme of the Academy we heard a
transcription rather than an original. From Nicola Porpora, a beautiful Sonata
in F por cello and continuo in the “da chiesa” mold (slow-fast-slow-fast). And
from Vivaldi, a Sonata of the same type in A minor, RV 43. All this music was
finely played, with taste and style, by the artists. The presentation was, as
usual, by Mario Videla.
Pablo Bardin
