vkioulaphides
Mar-27-2010, 6:09am
Dear friends,
rarely is a composer more deeply delighted, or more deeply honored than when his work reaches others under rather casual, informal, and for that reason more intimate, immediate circumstances.
Years ago, while vacationing at my Better Half's homeland, the Dominican Republic, I composed a little dittie for unaccompanied mandolin, and titled it El Malecón, i.e. The Quay— inspired, of course, by the famed "bedrock" infrastructure that the Columbus Bros built on their first stronghold in the Americas, erstwhile Hispaniola.
The piece has had some success, and has gained some presence among Latin American musicians, as is easily understandable. One such musician is Argentinian mandolinist Sebastian Frego, who had posted a performance of this work on YouTube earlier on, "as is"; more recently, a guitarist colleague of his wrote a (quite WONDERFUL!) guitar-part to go along with my original score, and the two of them have been performing my work, in its new guise, at several Argentinian nightclubs, cabarets, hang-outs, call-them-what-you-may.
I am thus delighted to refer you to the following performance which, in all due modesty, gives me the FANTASTIC thrill of feeling as if, for a moment in time, I am "in Piazzolla's shoes", so to speak. He is one of my musical heroes, after all, and the honor of "being" where he once was counts more to me than words can say— and this, of course, without making any comparative statement(s) of musical value.
Enjoy!
Victor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5XwBu7E9Ns
rarely is a composer more deeply delighted, or more deeply honored than when his work reaches others under rather casual, informal, and for that reason more intimate, immediate circumstances.
Years ago, while vacationing at my Better Half's homeland, the Dominican Republic, I composed a little dittie for unaccompanied mandolin, and titled it El Malecón, i.e. The Quay— inspired, of course, by the famed "bedrock" infrastructure that the Columbus Bros built on their first stronghold in the Americas, erstwhile Hispaniola.
The piece has had some success, and has gained some presence among Latin American musicians, as is easily understandable. One such musician is Argentinian mandolinist Sebastian Frego, who had posted a performance of this work on YouTube earlier on, "as is"; more recently, a guitarist colleague of his wrote a (quite WONDERFUL!) guitar-part to go along with my original score, and the two of them have been performing my work, in its new guise, at several Argentinian nightclubs, cabarets, hang-outs, call-them-what-you-may.
I am thus delighted to refer you to the following performance which, in all due modesty, gives me the FANTASTIC thrill of feeling as if, for a moment in time, I am "in Piazzolla's shoes", so to speak. He is one of my musical heroes, after all, and the honor of "being" where he once was counts more to me than words can say— and this, of course, without making any comparative statement(s) of musical value.
Enjoy!
Victor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5XwBu7E9Ns