Tango & Titan

Tango & Titan

Roger Kalia, Conductor

Piazzolla/arr. Verhelst

Suite from Maria de Buenos Aires

Mahler/arr. Farrington

Symphony No . 1, “Titan” ~

1 Langsam, schleppend - Immer sehr gemächlich

Slowly, dragging - Very restrained throughout

2. Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell - Recht gemächlich

Moving strongly, but not too quickly - Restrained

3 Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen

Solemnly and measured, without dragging

4 . Stürmisch bewegt – Energisch

Stormily agitated – Energetic

This evening’s concert will run for approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.

Suite from María de Buenos Aires (1968)

Ástor Piazzolla (1921–1992), Arr.

Steven Verhelst

(b. 1981)

“You can say my music isn’t the tango, but you can’t say it isn’t Argentina.”

Such was the response of Ástor Piazzolla to those who accused him of “destroying” or “killing” Argentina’s beloved popular music From our perspective today, it is hard to imagine a time in which there were vocal anti-piazzollistas who denounced the musician, but indeed, in mid-twentieth-century Argentina, the musical innovations Piazzolla brought to tango music caused both controversy and delight

Born in Mar del Plata Argentina, Piazzolla was the only child of Italian immigrant parents. After spending some of his childhood in New York, he and his family returned to his hometown in Argentina where the teenage Piazzolla began performing with local tango orchestras Piazzolla soon moved to Buenos Aires and joined the famed tango ensemble run by Aníbal Troilo . Although his primary instrument was the bandoneon, a type of concertina that was common to tango ensembles, Piazzolla also studied classical piano and composition, with the eminent figures of Alberto Ginastera and Nadia Boulanger being his most prominent teachers .

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Piazzolla developed a unique style that came to be known as nuevo tango—literally, “new tango .” Piazzolla’s musical approach infused classic tango with extended harmonies borrowed from jazz, added additional instruments such as saxophone and electric guitar to tango ensembles, and incorporated classical techniques such as fugal writing and extended counterpoint into his tango compositions In 1966, Piazzolla began collaborating with Uruguayan-Argentine poet Horacio Ferrer. One of their first joint endeavors was the tango “operita” (little opera) titled María de Buenos Aires, for which Ferrer wrote the lyrics The operita opened to mixed reviews on May 8, 1968, at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires Those who criticized the operita did so largely on the basis of its generic distinction and its libretto, while Piazzolla’s music, which was scored for an orchestra of ten instrumentalists (including Piazzolla on bandoneon) to accompany the three lead vocalists, was generally praised .

Although María de Buenos Aires is only rarely performed in its entirety as a staged work, many arrangements of the music have been made and are found more frequently on concert programs, including arrangements by Piazzolla himself and his famed pianist, Pablo Ziegler . The suite for brass ensemble, arranged by composer Steven Verhelst, was written specifically for the brass players of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2010 and has quickly become one of the more popular arrangements of this music . The suite features four beloved numbers from the operita: Yo soi María (I am María), Balada (Ballad), Habanera, and Fuga y Misterio (Fugue and Mystery)