About

TANGO PROJECT LOCA BOHEMIA

The story of this CD begins in 2001 when I was finishing a Grad Dip. in violin performance at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I had discovered the tangos of Astor Piazzolla and was captivated by the sophistication, the expressive possibilities and the subtleties of performance which were there in scores and recordings from Argentina, but absent in most tango performance elsewhere. I decided to go to Buenos Aires for as long as it took and learn from the maestros in whose orchestras Piazzolla trained.

Arriving in September 2003, I rented a room in a small tango house in San Telmo, an old tango district south of  the city near the river front. By chance, immediately I was introduced to Ignacio Varchausky, a young double bassist already marshalling the help of the City of Buenos Aires Government to find and convince the maestros of the 1940s and 50s (those who were still alive), to share their experience with a school of tango he was creating, La Escuela De Tango Emilio Balcarce.

The aim was to teach young musicians the art of playing the tango of their grandparents which, due to political unrest and Rock n Roll, had skipped a generation. The creation of this school is portrayed in the film Si sos brujo: A Tango Story.

That first trip I spent the days in rehearsal halls and nights in cafes and bars, listening to the best live tango bands, quartets and trios in the world. The high level of musicianship, artistry and individual character of the solos of each instrument just reinforced my decision. For the next decade I kept going back, invited by Varchausky and assisted by The Ian Potter Cultural Trust to study and perform on violin with the Orquesta Escuela De Tango Emilio Balcarce, under the direction of some of the leading maestros of the 20^thcentury.

Most intriguing in the orchestra was the bandoneón, a small German button concertina-like instrument with four different keyboards (tecladas) and a chaotic layout, its sound accounting for the rhythmic drive and nostalgic human voice of the tango. Young virtuosos displayed unbelievable brilliance playing solos on this crazy instrument – I had to learn it.

In April 2007 I began bandoneón studies back in Buenos Aires, thereafter practising 5 hours each day wherever I was, while also playing with the Orquesta Escuela De Tango on violin . My teachers included some of the instrument’s young virtuosos, Ramiro Boero, Camillo Ferrero and Santiago Polimeni who plays on this album.

In 2009 in Sydney I was invited to form a tango youth orchestra, TangoOz  for Sydney Youth Orchestras (SYO) and this I direct from the bandoneón. TangoOz and I have just begun our fifth year. Sydney Conservatorium High School, among others, also recognized tango’s relevance and for years has given me the opportunity to teach young ensembles.

In March 2010 Ignacio Varchausky (awarded Latin Grammy Award in 2009) agreed to produce a CD where I would play both violin and bandoneón alternately, then as a duet on the last track, Loca Bohemia.

Emilio Balcarce, who died in 2011 aged 93, played both violin and  bandoneón but not in the same decade or ever on the same CD. We commissioned arrangements and selected our dream team of musicians; Andres Linetzky, Guillermo Rubino, Santiago Polimeni and, with Varchausky on double bass, rehearsed in Buenos Aires in April, May and July 2011.

Tango Project Loca Bohemia was recorded in the first week of August 2011 at Estudio Cosentino, Buenos Aires, using the beautiful old Steinway always used by pianist Marta Argerich when performing in the city. The CD is the product of a decade of tango study and performance with some of the best Argentine tango musicians, young and old. So far it’s the most rewarding collaboration of my career.

Maggie Ferguson – Sydney, March 1, 2013

PRODUCER’S NOTE