NEW YORK—The New York Chamber Music Festival will premiere new arrangements of tango pieces by Astor Piazzolla, on Sept. 10 at 5 p.m., as part of the New York Chamber Music Festival from Sept. 10-16.
The festival will feature 10 tangos by the renowned, innovative Argentine composer. Nine of these Piazzolla tangos were arranged for a piano trio (piano, cello, and violin) by “the famous José Bragato, a personal friend of Piazzolla,” said Elmira Darvarova, the concert violinist in the program and director of the festival.
Bragato was a “cellist for Piazzolla’s orchestra, who collaborated with Piazzolla to bring Argentine tango music from the local dance bars to the world concert stages,” she explained.
Piazzolla died in 1992, but José Bragato, now 95, still writes music every day.
The links in the chain of friendship continue. Cellist Christine Walevska, who will be also playing in the series, is a lifelong friend of Bragato.
According to Walevska’s blog at the New York Chamber Music Festival site, she first met José Bragato in 1967 during her performances at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Bragato, the principal cellist of the Philharmonic Orchestra at the time, so admired her cello playing that he said, “I will be your lifelong friend and always at your disposal.”
It is not surprising, then, that Ms. Walevska was the first person to whom Mr. Bragato gave all of his piano trio arrangements of the Piazzolla tangos.
The festival will feature 10 tangos by the renowned, innovative Argentine composer. Nine of these Piazzolla tangos were arranged for a piano trio (piano, cello, and violin) by “the famous José Bragato, a personal friend of Piazzolla,” said Elmira Darvarova, the concert violinist in the program and director of the festival.
Bragato was a “cellist for Piazzolla’s orchestra, who collaborated with Piazzolla to bring Argentine tango music from the local dance bars to the world concert stages,” she explained.
Piazzolla died in 1992, but José Bragato, now 95, still writes music every day.
The links in the chain of friendship continue. Cellist Christine Walevska, who will be also playing in the series, is a lifelong friend of Bragato.
According to Walevska’s blog at the New York Chamber Music Festival site, she first met José Bragato in 1967 during her performances at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Bragato, the principal cellist of the Philharmonic Orchestra at the time, so admired her cello playing that he said, “I will be your lifelong friend and always at your disposal.”
It is not surprising, then, that Ms. Walevska was the first person to whom Mr. Bragato gave all of his piano trio arrangements of the Piazzolla tangos.
