Antonio Carlos Jobim: A Felicidade for guitar solo
Program notes
Antonio Carlos Jobim: A Felicidade
Widely considered to be the most important innovator of the Brazilian Bossa Nova style, Antônio Carlos Jobím was a huge success prior to his collaboration with Stan Getz. Several years before Stan Getz would propel him to even greater international fame, Jobím wrote a large portion of the score for Opheu Negro (“Black Orpheus”), an award-winning film. This modern take on the classic tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice takes place in Brazil and opens with ‘A Felicidade’, which sets the tone perfectly, opening with the line “sadness has no end; happiness does”. This song went on to become one of Jobím’s most successful hits, covered by many other artists. This arrangement by French guitarist Roland Dyens maintains the original’s infectious groove while retaining the original lyricism of the song.
Laurent Boutros: Amasia
Originally fascinated by Flamenco, French guitarist and composer Laurent Boutros was drawn to music from oral traditions at a young age, and his interest would later spread to Brazilian and Argentinian music. This interest in various world music traditions would influence Amasia, an extremely energetic piece with a short run time. It was first performed by Boutros’s duo of the same name, with Dominique Vidal on the clarinet.
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Introduced to Jazz, Tango, and Classical music as a child, Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzolla began his musical career as a prodigy, specializing in the bandoneón (a button accordion). In the 1940s, he performed in one of the greatest tango ensembles of the century, while also studying composition with Alberto Ginastera in Buenos Aires. Later, Piazzolla would go to France to study composition with famed teacher Nadia Boulanger. Although he was dedicated to classical composition, Boulanger urged him to pursue tango as his principal art form. This push was a breakthrough for Piazzolla, who began developing Nuevo Tango, a modern style of tango fused with elements of Jazz harmony and rhythm, as well as techniques from classical composition.
Histoire du Tango retraces the history of Argentinian Tango throughout the 20th century. ‘Bordello 1900’, the first movement, is written in a lively style reminiscent of the first tangos played in the bordellos of Bueno Aires, around 1882. ‘Café 1930’ utilizes a slower, more melancholic take on the tango, which is no longer only for dancing, as by this time tango orchestras are being listened to all over the world. By ‘Nightclub 1960’, the once lively dance tango is now enriched by the influence of Bossa Nova, resulting in a passionate, rambunctious style. This medium is what projected Piazzolla to worldwide recognition.
Roland Dyens: Libra Sonatine, Fuoco
French classical guitarist Roland Dyens, would often open concerts with an improvisation. Other times, he would improvise the entirety of the program. Journalists said he had the hands of a classical musician but the mind of a jazz musician. Composed during a difficult time in the composer’s life, Libra Sonatine is a work that astonishes with its rhythms, techniques, and harmonies. It is said to reflect his harrowing experiences during a heart bypass surgery. The last movement, ’Fuoco’, expresses a fight for Dyens’s life.
Elliot Cole: Bloom Trio
Bloom Trio for clarinet, guitar, and cello, was written in 2013 for the Marcel Trio (Stas Chernyshev, clarinet; Jordan Dodson, guitar; Gabriel Cabezas, cello). The composer considers this piece to be a breakthrough work in two ways: first, because it is what he sees as the first “good” composition to come out of his computer programming project, and second, because it retains a personal uniqueness in its exuberance. Cole is one of America’s leading young composers, and his music is performed by many of the country’s leading ensembles, including Grammy Award winners and Grammy nominees. He is known for his unique approach to music, which is influenced by computer programming. He writes about this piece:
Bloom Trio was a project that merged heart and head. My head was challenging itself to write music with
computer code, but I had also just gotten married and felt full of love and life. These two together helped me
find a level of energy and effervescence and joy in my music that I had never achieved before. This is a piece
I love and am grateful to be able to share with you tonight.
Jacob do Bandolim: Doce de Coco
Jacob do Bandolim was a virtuoso mandolin player and composer of “choro” - a Brazilian sng style, very popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Doce de Coco is an example of a simple and elegant choro. Tonight’s performance features an arrangement for clarinet, guitar, and cello, where the guitar provides a steady, lively beat while clarinet and cello play beautiful melodies on top.
Program notes by Stas Chernyshev and Ann Hung.
Widely considered to be the most important innovator of the Brazilian Bossa Nova style, Antônio Carlos Jobím was a huge success prior to his collaboration with Stan Getz. Several years before Stan Getz would propel him to even greater international fame, Jobím wrote a large portion of the score for Opheu Negro (“Black Orpheus”), an award-winning film. This modern take on the classic tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice takes place in Brazil and opens with ‘A Felicidade’, which sets the tone perfectly, opening with the line “sadness has no end; happiness does”. This song went on to become one of Jobím’s most successful hits, covered by many other artists. This arrangement by French guitarist Roland Dyens maintains the original’s infectious groove while retaining the original lyricism of the song.
Laurent Boutros: Amasia
Originally fascinated by Flamenco, French guitarist and composer Laurent Boutros was drawn to music from oral traditions at a young age, and his interest would later spread to Brazilian and Argentinian music. This interest in various world music traditions would influence Amasia, an extremely energetic piece with a short run time. It was first performed by Boutros’s duo of the same name, with Dominique Vidal on the clarinet.
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Introduced to Jazz, Tango, and Classical music as a child, Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzolla began his musical career as a prodigy, specializing in the bandoneón (a button accordion). In the 1940s, he performed in one of the greatest tango ensembles of the century, while also studying composition with Alberto Ginastera in Buenos Aires. Later, Piazzolla would go to France to study composition with famed teacher Nadia Boulanger. Although he was dedicated to classical composition, Boulanger urged him to pursue tango as his principal art form. This push was a breakthrough for Piazzolla, who began developing Nuevo Tango, a modern style of tango fused with elements of Jazz harmony and rhythm, as well as techniques from classical composition.
Histoire du Tango retraces the history of Argentinian Tango throughout the 20th century. ‘Bordello 1900’, the first movement, is written in a lively style reminiscent of the first tangos played in the bordellos of Bueno Aires, around 1882. ‘Café 1930’ utilizes a slower, more melancholic take on the tango, which is no longer only for dancing, as by this time tango orchestras are being listened to all over the world. By ‘Nightclub 1960’, the once lively dance tango is now enriched by the influence of Bossa Nova, resulting in a passionate, rambunctious style. This medium is what projected Piazzolla to worldwide recognition.
Roland Dyens: Libra Sonatine, Fuoco
French classical guitarist Roland Dyens, would often open concerts with an improvisation. Other times, he would improvise the entirety of the program. Journalists said he had the hands of a classical musician but the mind of a jazz musician. Composed during a difficult time in the composer’s life, Libra Sonatine is a work that astonishes with its rhythms, techniques, and harmonies. It is said to reflect his harrowing experiences during a heart bypass surgery. The last movement, ’Fuoco’, expresses a fight for Dyens’s life.
Elliot Cole: Bloom Trio
Bloom Trio for clarinet, guitar, and cello, was written in 2013 for the Marcel Trio (Stas Chernyshev, clarinet; Jordan Dodson, guitar; Gabriel Cabezas, cello). The composer considers this piece to be a breakthrough work in two ways: first, because it is what he sees as the first “good” composition to come out of his computer programming project, and second, because it retains a personal uniqueness in its exuberance. Cole is one of America’s leading young composers, and his music is performed by many of the country’s leading ensembles, including Grammy Award winners and Grammy nominees. He is known for his unique approach to music, which is influenced by computer programming. He writes about this piece:
Bloom Trio was a project that merged heart and head. My head was challenging itself to write music with
computer code, but I had also just gotten married and felt full of love and life. These two together helped me
find a level of energy and effervescence and joy in my music that I had never achieved before. This is a piece
I love and am grateful to be able to share with you tonight.
Jacob do Bandolim: Doce de Coco
Jacob do Bandolim was a virtuoso mandolin player and composer of “choro” - a Brazilian sng style, very popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Doce de Coco is an example of a simple and elegant choro. Tonight’s performance features an arrangement for clarinet, guitar, and cello, where the guitar provides a steady, lively beat while clarinet and cello play beautiful melodies on top.
Program notes by Stas Chernyshev and Ann Hung.