Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at 7:30 PM
Diller-Quaile School of Music, 24 East 95th Street, New York City
Daniel Binelli, bandoneon master and veteran of Astor Piazzolla’s ensemble, with guitarist Federico Diaz in Piazzolla Revisited, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Piazzolla’s passing
“The bandoneon, Argentina’s national musical instrument, has long been an essential part of Tango culture. Now it has become a sensation throughout the world and its greatest exponent [is] Daniel Binelli.” — simphony.org.au
Program:
PIAZZOLLA Invierno Porteño (arr. Assad/Diaz)
PIAZZOLLA Campero from Cinco Piezas
ANÍBAL TROILO Maria (arr. Binelli)
PIAZZOLLA Otoño Porteño (arr. Binelli)
PEDRO MAFFIA Taconeando (arr. Piazzolla/Diaz)
PIAZZOLLA La Historia del Tango
PIAZZOLLA La Muerte del Ángel
We asked Federico a few questions about the concert:
Why do you call this concert “Piazzolla Revisited”?
I thought that it would be a great way to describe what the audience will experience in the concert. Daniel Binelli played with Piazzolla and he of course learned a lot from him, but at the same time Daniel has his own personality and style. I got to know Piazzolla’s music by carefully studying his recordings and by collaborating with great “Piazzolleros.” Daniel and I, in spite of our age difference, belong to the same generation of musicians that continuously develop and contribute to the understanding of Piazzolla’s music. “Piazzolla Revisited” is a celebration of Piazzolla’s music in the deepest sense.
What are you most excited about in this program?
I’m really excited to be sharing the stage with one of the legends of tango. To be able to do music with him is such an honor and a tremendous joy. I believe that our new take on La Historia del Tango is one of the highlights of the concert because it has a totally different approach — one full of improvisations, ornamentations, and changes that we made using tango language.
What is it like to play guitar with a bandoneon?
The bandoneon with guitar dimension is a very intimate and delicate one. The background and the personalities of the musicians are really the essence of this combination. For me, to play with bandoneon always represents a new opportunity to establish a conversation with the long tradition of bandoneon and guitar duo that goes back all the way to the famous duo Troilo-Grela. This conversation happens in the tango world with tango language and what makes this conversation more interesting is that Daniel Binelli and I have been influenced by a number of traditions, all which are present when we interact.
Internationally renowned composer, arranger, and master of the bandoneon, Argentina’s Daniel Binelli performs extensively in concert and recital. The bandoneon is a unique and sensuous instrument showcased in a wide range of his own compositions, many of which have roots in the tango of Binelli’s native land, where he is known as a dedicated researcher and expert in the form.
Binelli is also widely acclaimed as the foremost exponent and torchbearer of the music of Astor Piazzolla. In 1989 Daniel Binelli joined Piazzolla´s New Tango Sextet and toured internationally.
Orchestras with whom Mr. Binelli has appeared as guest soloist include, among others, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, Montreal Symphony, Ottawa Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic (OH) and St. Petersburg Symphony, (Russia). Some of the conductors with whom Binelli has worked include Charles Dutoit, Lalo Schifrin, Franz Paul Decker, Robert Spano, JoAnn Falletta, Giselle Ben-Dor, Isaiah Jackson, Michael Christie, Lior Shambadal and Daniel Schweitzer. Binelli conducted Piazzolla´s operetta: María de Buenos Aires in Sicily (Italy) with Italian singer Milva.
Binelli is the Musical Director of Tango Metropolis, recently featured in the PBS Documentary Tango: the Spirit of Argentina and in a BBC documentary about Astor Piazzolla’s life.
Born in Mendoza, Argentina, Federico Díaz is a versatile upcoming musician of the new generation of guitarists with a multi-faceted career as a performing artist, arranger and composer in the classical and Argentinian music worlds.
His performances have taken him to distinguished festivals and concert halls across the United States, Europe, and Latin America. He has appeared as soloist with the National University of Cuyo Symphony Orchestra, the Mozarteum University Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot, and the Sinfonieorchester Magdeburg. His passion for chamber music led him to collaborate with musicians such as Lionel Cottet, Philippe Quint, Jeremías Serigiani, Ada Meinich, Nora Buschmann, Emilio Argento, Bruno Cavallaro, Matías González, Pablo Woiz, Juan Emilio Cucchiarelli, and a variety of string ensembles.
Celebrated for expanding the guitar repertoire, Federico has premiered works written for him by composers such as Juan Falú, Bruno Cavallaro, Miguel Bareilles, Agustín Castilla Ávila, among others. In 2014 the label Epsa Music released the album Perspectiva 204 by the duo DiaZ-WoiZ. In 2013 Federico made the premiere recording of Divertimento on Austrian Folk Songs by Bernhard Romberg with Lionel Cottet for Sony Classical.
Federico has studied at world-renowned institutions such as National University of Cuyo, the University Mozarteum Salzburg, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, and the Manhattan School of Music. His former teachers include Cristina Cuitiño, Eliot Fisk, Ricardo Gallén, and David Starobin. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Performance at the Graduate Center of City University of New York, under the guidance of Frederic Hand.
