María De Buenos Aires

MARÍA DE BUENOS AIRES Astor Piazzolla composer Horacio Ferrer lyricist Valentina Montoya Martínez Nicholas Mulroy Juanjo Lopez Vidal narrator Victor Villena bandoneón Mr McFall's Chamber Astor Piazzolla composer Horacio Ferrer lyricist MARÍA DE BUENOS AIRES (1921–1992) (1933–2014) PART 1 (CD1) 1 Cuadro 1: Alevare [6:21] 2 Cuadro 2: Tema de María María’s Theme [4:53] Valentina Montoya Martínez Juanjo Lopez Vidal 3 Cuadro 3: Balada renga para un organito loco Lame Ballad for a Crazy Barrel Organ [7:10] María/The Shadow of María The Duende (narrator) 4 Cuadro 4: Yo soy María I am María [3:17] 5 Cuadro 5: Milonga carrieguera por María la Niña Milonga for the Child María [5:16] Nicholas Mulroy Mr McFall’s Chamber (in the style of Evaristo Carriega) The voice of a payador/ 6 Cuadro 6: Fuga y misterio Fugue and Mystery [3:18] Sleepy Buenos Aires Sparrow/ Victor Villena 7 Cuadro 7: Poema valseado Waltzed Poem [2:38] First Psychoanalyst/ Musical director/bandoneón A Voice of That Sunday 8 Cuadro 8: Tocata rea Lowlife Toccata [4:53] 9 Cuadro 9: Miserere canyengue de los ladrones antiguos en las alcantarillas [6:35] Canyengue Miserere of the Old Gutter Thieves Total playing time (CD1) [44:27] Mr McFall’s Chamber Speaking Chorus Cyril Garac, Robert McFall violins Lisa Eskuche, Tanja Jacobs, Ann McFall, Brian Schiele viola Rhona McLeod, Doreen Rodgers Recorded on 18-19 June 2016 at The Tom Fleming María de Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla and Horacio Su-a Lee cello Brothel-keepers/spaghetti-kneaders/ Centre, Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools, Edinburgh Ferrer published by Warner/Chappell Music Rick Standley double bass Three Marionettes Drunk on Things Producer: Paul Baxter Session photography: Steven Allan Images Engineer: Ben Seal Design: John Christ Alison Mitchell flute/piccolo Roberto Rabinovich Sleepy Buenos Aires Sparrow 24-bit digital editing: Paul Baxter Booklet editor: Henry Howard Malcolm MacFarlane guitar Pedro Castillo, Gustavo Pardo, Roberto Rabinovich 24-bit digital mastering: Paul Baxter Delphian Records Ltd – Edinburgh – UK Cover image: Dolores Molinari, Caos, acrylic on canvas, www.delphianrecords.co.uk Phil Alexander piano Old thieves/ Magi-Bricklayers/The Men who 2013, fb.com/dolomolinari Ian Sandilands, Stuart Semple percussion Returned from Mystery Notes on the music In 1965, the famous Argentinian astrologer same moment. Meanwhile, in Argentina the and subplots. However, such attempts are them, on the other hand, ever doubted for a Horangel, drawing up Astor Piazzolla’s birth government of General Juan Carlos Onganía, based on a misunderstanding. Ferrer recalled moment the quality of their operita. Piazzolla’s chart, predicted that within two years a which had been established by military coup a conversation with Piazzolla during the Tango Nuevo, particularly since his return to man of vital importance to him would come in 1966, was trying to repress all forms of planning of the work in which, from what he Buenos Aires in 1955 from his studies with knocking on his door. In 1967, the Uruguayan ‘immoralism’, including miniskirts, long hair remembered, the composer said: Nadia Boulanger, had been incorporating poet Horacio Ferrer came to call and, because and anything permissive or avant-garde. classical and jazz elements into the more the bell was not working, knocked. Ferrer An example of this state censorship was the What is this thing? I haven’t a clue! On the one cabaret-style tango music which he had grown had dedicated his new volume of poetry, banning, in August 1968, of the Argentinian hand it’s a bit like an oratorio; on the other, a bit like up playing during the late thirties and forties. Romancero Canyengue, to Piazzolla, and it was premiere of Alberto Ginastera’s opera a cantata – but it’s neither one nor the other – nor, Here, in María de Buenos Aires, there are only then that Piazzolla first became aware of Bomarzo, on the grounds of its sexual content. for that matter, is it a musical; even less an opera. fugues and toccatas alongside a wide spread Ferrer as a poet. The composer had previously This was the cultural context in which Piazzolla I have an idea – look – it’s not opera by any stretch of Argentinian music traditions – milonga, known him as the editor and illustrator of a and Ferrer found themselves writing María of the imagination, but just as an opera can be canyengue, candombe, tango and the sparring magazine, Tangueando, which championed de Buenos Aires. The libretto makes mention called a work, or obra, what we have written could verse dialogue typical of the folk song tradition the Nuevo Tango movement which Piazzolla of a Beatle, hippies and girls in blue jeans. It be referred to as a little work, or obrita – so why of the payada. The instrumentation, likewise, was spearheading, as well as the founder of also several times makes play of the adjective don’t we call it an operita? ranges from traditional tango instruments, a club, El Club de la Guardia, which provided zurdo (lefty), and variations on it (zurdamente – such as flute, acoustic guitar, violin and a platform for it. On reading this new volume lefthandedly, a zurda – on the left). The two of them realised that the piece they bandoneón, through to the more contemporary of Ferrer’s poetry, Piazzolla immediately had written lay outside any conventional genre. sound-world of vibraphone, electric guitar and rang him. ‘This book,’ he said, ‘these verses, The original production of María de Buenos If it has antecedents, they are Kurt Weill and drum kit. achieve exactly what I have been trying to Aires, in keeping with the multimedia Bertold Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera and achieve in music. From now on we must experimentation of its times, used a backdrop Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s Horacio Ferrer’s libretto is highly poetic. When work together.’ It was this invitation which of projections, both of film and of slides, West Side Story (The Threepenny Opera, criticised for the fact that the work was difficult led to their collaboration in writing María de created for the work by Adolfo Bronowski. like María de Buenos Aires, plays out among to understand, Ferrer answered that he hadn’t Buenos Aires towards the end of 1967, with its The years 1967 to 1969 saw the creation of pimps, thieves and beggars, while West Side written it to be understood, but to create premiere in May 1968. many new art-forms – not only light shows, but Story even has a heroine called Maria). emotion and atmosphere. In another interview also, for example, rock opera and the concept he said ‘Poetry is not to be read; it is to be 1968 was a year in which almost every album. María de Buenos Aires likewise falls María de Buenos Aires’ first run of recited. It is like music … reading poetry is like country in Europe, both West and East, faced outside traditional forms. Piazzolla and Ferrer performances took place at a Buenos Aires reading a score; it is something that happens widespread student demonstrations; while described it as an operita. People have tended venue called La Planeta. Critical response was in the air, not on paper.’ As with any writer, in North America, civil rights marches, anti- to take this as meaning a small opera or adverse and audiences stayed away, alarmed influences are manifold and diverse, but Lorca Vietnam war demonstrations, hippie love-ins, operetta, and many productions have tried to by reports of the obscure libretto and the is definitely one, especially the poetry from his and the early stages of the feminist, ecology turn it into one, introducing dance, inventing surreal plot. Both Piazzolla and Ferrer incurred surrealist phase. The title of Ferrer’s collection and gay rights movements all erupted at the new storylines and creating new characters large personal debts as a result. Neither of of poems about Buenos Aires’ low life, Notes on the music Romancero Canyengue, is a direct reference street slang of Buenos Aires, with biblical What happens in the operita? María is born The first half of the operita is filled with the to Lorca’s Romancero Gitano. On the other language and references to religious ritual and in poverty on the outside of town. She grows imagery of Easter, and moves towards the hand, Ferrer’s mythologising of criminal street the occult. He incorporates many allusions up and moves to the middle of the city, to passion and death of María – finishes, if you culture follows in the footsteps of Borges who specific to Buenos Aires street life – to the cabaret underworld, a world of old gutter like, on Good Friday; the second begins with raised the mythical gangsters of the past to the gambling, to horse racing, to tango poets of thieves, brothel-keepers, pickpockets, tarts María’s descent into Hell, but then moves on status of epic heroes: the past (Discépolo, Olivari), to city landmarks and pimps, where things go wrong for her. to her resurrection, to an annunciation and a – and uses not only many lunfardo words, but Above all, it is the bandoneón who corrupts miraculous birth – the birth of a new María as Where are those who felt no hatred, also a number of neologisms. her, in revenge for which the Duende cuts the the Christmas bells ring out. lust for money or love bandoneón down the middle with a ‘verse like But lived and died by the knife? Who is María? Ferrer often said that she was a pickaxe’. María dies and goes to hell (‘There The characters in the operita are often fleeting; Although these vicious daggers – a representation of Buenos Aires itself.

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