PRISMA DE AMORES Latin Suite for Orchestra & Orchestral Program
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199 Pemberton St. • Cambridge, MA 02140 • 617.492.1515 phone • 617.649.0299 fax PRISMA DE AMORES Latin Suite for Orchestra & Orchestral Program Description Fall 2009 marks Sol y Canto’s 15th anniversary and founders Brian and Rosi Amador’s 25th year as Latin music ambassadors. Latin music ensemble Sol y Canto and their 2001 Boston Celebrity Series-commissioned Latin suite, “Prisma de amores” has been presented with orchestras including the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Modern Orchestra, to name a few. Mr. Amador was the first Latino composer to be commissioned by the Boston Celebrity Series. SOL Y CANTO BIOGRAPHY Sol y Canto is an award-winning national touring ensemble with a long track record of presenting original as well as traditional and popular music in Latin American and Caribbean musical genres. They have brought audiences to their feet from the Kennedy Center and White House to the Vancouver Folk Festival, Boston’s Symphony Hall and the Museo de Arte in San Juan, Puerto Rico, amongst others. Recent highlights for Sol y Canto include performances at the Smithsonian Center in Washington, D.C., the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia,.They tour performing arts centers, concert series, and festivals, and offer concerts, master classes, and a variety of educational programs for adult and family audiences. PRISMA DE AMORES “…The [Latin suite] performances were infectious, and the pieces displayed Amador’s generous melodic gift, his rhythmic spark, and a sensitive attunement to the shifting moods of the text…” –Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe “I have heard nothing but raves from everyone, especially our new works funder. He was especially grateful to see such a diverse audience. I received a call this morning from one of my board members who said it was the type of concert that made him proud to be associated with the Series.” –Martha H. Jones, President and Executive Director, Bank of America Celebrity Series With support from a Celebrity Series Commission and a highly prized Massachusetts Cultural Council artist grant for “exceptional musical composition”, composer/guitarist Brian Amador wrote the Latin suite specifically for a symphonic collaboration. Orchestral colors, textures and effects are woven into traditional styles such as son, bolero, danzón, cha cha cha, bomba and tango in a surprising and powerful meditation on the many facets of love. The bolero and tango are perhaps the most emotional genres. The bolero, originally from Cuba, is a timeless ballad style popular throughout Latin America. Comparable to the blues in emotional depth, the bolero’s poetic lyrics and lush chords have recently been reintroduced to audiences in this country by such notable ensembles as Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club and Vieja Trova Santiaguera. The Argentine tango, with its passionate lyrics and musical intensity, has also been enjoying renewed popularity, thanks in large part to the prolific creativity of the late, great Astor Piazzola. The Afro-Puerto Rican bomba and the Cuban son are two of the most popular Caribbean dance rhythms in the latin music world. WHAT DOES THE CONCERT LOOK LIKE? Sol y Canto brings their sextet to perform the suite with your orchestra in a shared program. Both the orchestra and Sol y Canto can perform on their own prior to the shared “Prisma de Amores” suite. The directors of Sol y Canto are Rosi & Brian Amador. New Mexico native Brian, our musical director/composer, provides orchestrations, Spanish guitar, and vocals. Rosi, our Puerto Rican/Argentine lead vocalist, also provides bongos and small percussion. Additional Sol y Canto members performing in th suite include virtuoso musicians from Perú, Uruguay, Panamá and the U.S. on upright bass, piano, congas, cajón, saxophone and flute and small percussion. In addition to Prisma de amores, Brian Amador has also orchestrated a number of beloved Latin classic love songs that can be added to the program. The pieces come from Puerto Rico, Cuba and Argentina. Some of these include the following: Sabor a mí (bolero) Alvaro Carrillo, Cuba Así es mi tierra Gloria González, Puerto Rico Quiéreme mucho (bolero) Gonzalo Roig, Cuba Se alquila (tango) Hipóito Torres, Argentina In the 2009/2010 season Mr. Amador plans to debut a new suite of Latin songs from a brand new work called “Sabor y Memoria: A Musical Feast in Seven Courses,” celebrating Latin food and addressing themes of immigration and global agricultural sustainability. Although this new work is not scheduled to debut until spring 2010, some compositions may be ready as early as fall of 2009, to be determined. Mr. Amador has received a MacDowell Artist Colony fellowship for winter 2009 to compose the suite. REVIEWS OF ‘PRISMA DE AMORES’ Latin orchestral suite by Brian Amador “The performances were “Congratulations to both of “Polygot, polyrythmic you and to your wonderful and pure dynamos, the infectious, and the pieces band. I have heard nothing hyped-up ensemble displayed Amador’s generous but raves from everyone, proved quickly that this especially our new works was not to be an ordinary melodic gift, his rhythmic funder. long-haird celebrity series night… spark, and a sensitive He was especially grateful to see such a diverse audience. attunement to the shifting I also received a call this If the nearly sold-out sanders crowd has moods of the texts …” morning from one of my board members who said it anything to say about it, was the type of concert that maybe the ‘Marquee Series’ is starting to win -Richard Dyer, Boston Globe made him proud to be associated with the Series. an audience… … A helluva lot of fun.” I also want to say one more time how wonderful you both -Keith Powers, Boston were to work with. If there Herald were an award for most generous artist to work with, you two would top the list. Thank you again, and relish the standing ovation and the accolades coming your way. You deserve it.” -Martha H. Jones President and Executive Director FleetBoston Celebrity Series Sol y Canto is represented by Siegel Artist Management www.siegelartist.com Music News 03/01/2004 Springfield Symphony Orchestra concert takes on Latin flavor By GEORGE LENKER SPRINGFIELD - Blending peppery beats with delicious Latin melodies, Sol y Canto and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra concocted a tasty sonic salsa Saturday night. Sol y Canto is a Cambridge-based Latin music group led by the husband and wife team of Brian and Rosi Amador. The eight-piece band joined the orchestra Saturday in a rousing display of evocative music. Symphony conductor Kevin Rhodes and the string section of the orchestra warmed up the audience slowly with a few sambas and bossa novas before Sol y Canto took the stage. The first of these, "Black Orpheus," featured pizzicato string work underpinning the mournful and mysterious melody carved out by first chair violinist Masako Yanagita. The second and third selections, "Oblivion" and "Corcovado," continued this pace effectively, using syncopated Latin bass lines to underscore the alternatively romantic and haunting tunes. Sol y Canto then appeared and performed four songs without the orchestra. The first of these was a light, jazzy piece titled "Capullito de Aleli" which showcased compelling solos by bassist Carlos Del Pino and flutist Jon Weeks, who also later played saxophone. It understandably took a few minutes for the instruments' volume levels to be adjusted for the percussion-heavy band, but the eight pieces were sorted out by the second tune, "Papel de Plata." This song featured vocalist Alan Del Castillo doubling on a series of ocarinas, which are oval-shaped clay flutes. The first ocarina played was a low-toned instrument, evocative of a whale's song. But as guitarist Brian Amador modulated keys, Del Castillo quickly and nimbly switched to increasingly higher pitched ocarinas, much to the audience's delight. The third selection was the bluesy "Tonada de Luna," which rode on a pulsing guitar rhythm while Rosi Amador's vocals floated ethereally above. The third verse was sung a capella and resembled a motet, with Brian Amador anchoring the three-part harmony with a haunting, chant-like bass note. This minor key piece was one of many during the night, and showed the oxymoron of the band's name: Sol y Canto means "sun and song" but their music often leads listeners into more shadowy corners of lost love and moonlit longing. But Sol y Canto then switched gears with two fun songs, "Fiesta del Tren," and the festive "Brown Rice" - the lyrics to which Brian Amador admitted were actually a rice recipe. The orchestra then joined Sol y Canto for several pieces before intermission. The first was a bolero, the trumpet-fueled "Sabor a Mi," which was then followed by the urgent "Asi es Mi Tierra," which featured Sol y Canto keeping the throbbing pulse while the strings added dramatic counterpoint accents. After intermission Sol y Canto did two songs alone. "Obsession" was a bolero, highlighted nicely by a Weeks' sax solo, and "Beso Discreto" ("A Discrete Kiss") featured both a lively pace and the percussive kissing sounds mouthed by the Amadors. The orchestra then rejoined the fray for three final pieces, the last being a five-part sojourn through numerous Latin styles: bolero, guaracha, tango, bomba and a ballad. These final pieces, although mostly slow or mid-tempo, allowed Rosi Amador to showcase her clear, emotive voice. Although the faster, familiar Latin beats may have caught the audience members' ears, it was the slower more complex tunes that captured their hearts. The evening wound up with a rousing encore, "Que Bonita Luna," which featured a hearty audience clap-along led by Rhodes. Symphony pops to get Latin rhythms 02/22/2004 Springfield, MA By CLIFTON J.