Carlo Gardel: Por una cabeza
Antonio Vivaldi: Cello Sonata in A minor, RV 43 (Largo and Allegro)
Astor Piazzolla: Tango Remembrances
Astor Piazzolla: Ave Maria
Gerardo Matos Rodriguez: La cumparsita
Astor Piazzolla: Café 1930
Astor Piazzolla: Le grand tango
Guillaume Hodeau: Bandoneon
David Louwerse: Cello
Things have been seriously heating up on all fronts in Drôme Provençale lately, so, when a series of big bad storms started to hit Dieulefit last Wednesday afternoon for the first time in a couple of months, they were understandably greeted with much relief at first. However, as time went on and they showed no sign of abating, my heart started to sink. The Pradel Association had organized an outdoor cello and bandoneon concert intriguingly entitled “Barroco-Tango” in the beautiful little amphitheater in Le Poët-Laval, and that exciting endeavor was slowly but surely becoming, quite literally, a washout.
But not to worry. Resolutely undeterred and endlessly resourceful, Pradel Association’s leader Pascaline Dallemagne quickly invited everybody over to her nearby large stone house, where a wide range of masterclasses and concerts occasionally take place. And that’s how my mom, a few other hardy souls and I braved the elements and showed up wet, but hopeful, to hear the heavenly duo constituted by cellist David Louwerse, a long-time regular, and bandoneonist Guillaume Hodeau, a less frequent but most welcome guest, in what eventually felt like an ultra-exclusive soirée in a rustic Parisian salon.
The concert program, which was essentially a live version of the CD the two musicians have just released, started with “La Folia”, a deliciously spicy adaptation of a work by Marin Marais, a not so well-known French Baroque composer and viol player who got his 15 minutes of fame in 1991 thanks to the magnificent French film Tous les Matins du Monde (All the Mornings of the World). And while the bandoneon may not sound like an obvious choice to express this type of old-fashioned refinement, Hodeau rightfully pointed out that the instrument first appeared in churches, among other places. So there.
The engaging opener was followed by an uplifting take of the earworm that is “Por una cabeza” by early 20th-century French-born Argentine singer, composer, actor, and tango superstar Carlo Gardel. Although I know next to nothing about tango, the melody rang a bell to me, which can only mean one thing: This song had achieved some kind of fame at some point.
Back to the Baroque era, we were transported to Italy this time, where we became acquainted with delightfully vivacious versions of the Largo and the Allegro from the Cello Sonata in A Minor, RV 43 by prodigious composer, impresario, and virtuoso violinist Antonio Vivaldi. His adapted music was as thrilling as he could have hoped for.
And then we finally moved on to a mini-festival of the boldly ground-breaking and immensely popular 20th-century Argentine tango composer and bandoneon virtuoso Astor Piazolla, with first an interesting experience by famously eclectic cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who in 1997 decided to record himself in duo with Piazolla’s old tracks. And so was born the vibrant “Tango Remembrances”, which Louwerse and Hodeau blazed through with devilish glee.
Another wonderful surprise was Astor Piazolla’s “Ave Maria”, which was a winning combination of tenderness and spirituality for a simple and yet truly inspired ode to the Virgin Mary.
“La cumparsita” by Uruguayan musician Gerardo Matos Rodriguez was first introduced to us by the two musicians as a huge hit that everybody knew and that therefore did not need any introduction. Once their performance was over and upon seeing our puzzled faces, the musicians charitably let us know what this sad but catchy little song was, which was much needed and much appreciated.
Back to Piazzolla, “Café 1930” proved to be more complex in composition and more romantic in mood than traditional tango fare. In fact, this new brand of tango is astonishingly enough meant to be listened to instead of danced to. But in the end, its power of attraction was just as formidable as its more conventional form.
The official program closed with Piazzolla’s “Le grand tango”, which Louwerse deemed “more serious” and “more cerebral”, to which Hodeau laconically replied that it was “longer”. Composed in 1982 for prominent Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, the three continuous movements adroitly mix traditional tango rhythms and jazz-flavored syncopation in one swell swoop.
Last, but not least, the encore was a cool tribute to French singer-songwriter and poet as well as hard-core jazz afficionado Claude Nougaro and French accordionist, bandoneonist, and composer Richard Galliano, who became his friend, his accordionist, and eventually his band leader. And that’s how our musical evening came to an end, right before the sky finally cleared up and everybody shared improvised drinks to celebrate a masterfully accomplished mission.
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