I have to share this evocative and soulfully written review of JP Jofre, a rare and gifted artist whose journey is offering a glimpse of the greatness that lives within... By Richard Scheinin (MERCURY NEWS) The quandary: where to begin this description of Saturdays electric program by Symphony Silicon Valley. Perhaps with the soulful spectacle of Carl Orffs Carmina Burana,or maybe with the U.S. premiere of JP Jofres superb Bandoneon Concerto, titled Tango Movements. Sweepingly romantic, elegantly crafted and rhythmically charged, it is a showcase for the bandoneon -- which resembles an accordion and is related to the harmonium, or pump organ -- and for Jofre himself, the soloist. He is an explosively talented performer and composer, who also happens to come from Argentina. Well, lets stick with Jofre, who wears white designer eyeglasses and looks like a hipster aviator. But there is nothing gimmicky about his musicianship. Playing his bandoneon -- when its bellows are fully extended, the instrument spans a good five feet -- he seemed to be handling a large lizard, often folding it across his knee. This was visually fascinating, yes, but then there were the sounds he coaxed from this highly expressive instrument: arias in its soprano range and grave utterances in the bass; melismatic chants and train-like roars; plus, plaintive sighs, calling to mind Miles Daviss trumpet. Jofre has loaded the piece with virtuoso cadenzas, solo statements. Even more striking is the way he expands his scoring outward from the instrument, extending and embellishing the bandoneons themes through the orchestra with painterly strokes, and then allowing the themes to retract and return to their point of origin, the bandoneon. Its as if the score reflects the in-and-out bellows motion of the solo instrument. One hopes that Jofre (and other bandoneonistas) will have the opportunity to take this piece on the road. Its opening Allegro Marcato moved with the rhythmic thrust -- the sharp, aggressive attack -- of a nuevo tango dance, complementing the soloists lines with dabs of clarinet or muted brass and with the march-like pulse of double basses. It passed through multiple moods, sometimes opening into spacious harmonies, hanging there like orchids, reminiscent of Gil Evanss arrangements on Daviss Sketches of Spain. The Adagio is über-Romantic -- part Tchaikovsky, part Hollywood, part Astor Piazzolla (who played the bandoneon) -- and includes a slow-turning cadenza that evokes the bandoneons origins as a church instrument in Germany and Italy. The concluding Milonga, close to Cuba and Africa with its ostinato-driven syncopations, passed like a flash, with clear, forceful contributions from strings and brass. Jofre, 30, has been working on the piece for more than a decade, gradually refining the orchestration. He has previously performed it three times in Argentina (always with Vieu conducting) and has reached a point of balance and concision. Bravo. He followed the concerto with a solo encore, a lullaby composed for his niece, titled Sweet Dreams.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 01:22:48 +0000
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