Tuesday, February 9, 2010

French impressionism meets argentine tango in the performance of pianist Maria Martinova and violinist David Nuñez

The next concert organized by TanguerIN will provide a meeting point for the lovers of classical and tango music and will take place on 27 February from 7.30 pm in the Concert Hall of the National Music School "Lubomir Pipkov" in Sofia. The title of the concert is "Paris - Buenos Aires" and it will be performed by Bulgarian pianist Maria Martinova, who lives and works in the Netherlands and Venezualan-born violinist David Nuñez, currently residing in Belgium.

THE CONCERT

For those who love sophisticated music this is a unique trip across time and space, presenting compositions inspired by two magnificent cities during two extraordinary eras for their musical cultures. The concert draws a parallel between Paris and Buenos Aires and their renowned innovative composers. From one side stand Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the most notable representatives of French music from the start of the XX century and of classical modernism in general. From the other side we have the argentine composers and musicians from the second half of XX century, who made a revolution in argentine tango led by the great Astor Piazzolla

The beautiful and passionate music of these composers is performed by two young and extremely talented musicians who have already left their footprints in contemporary classical music and tango: Bulgarian-born pianist Maria Martinova, who now lives and works in the Netherlands, and Venezualian violinist David Nuñez who currently lives and works in Belgium. Some of the pieces from the concert will be performed for the first time in Bulgaria.

THE PROGRAM

Part 1: PARIS

1. Claude Debussy - C'est l'extase
2-4. Claude Debussy - Sonata for Violin and Piano
5. Maurice Ravel - Habanera
6-8. Maurice Ravel - Sonata for Violin and Piano

Part 2: BUENOS AIRES

1. Antonio Agri - s.d. De Nada
2. Gustavo Beytelmann - Bethsheba
3. Bardi/Tripodi - Nunca Tuvo Novio
4. Horacio Salgan - La Llamo Silbando
5. Astor Piazzolla - Libertango
6. Astor Piazzolla - Oblivion
7. Astor Piazzolla - Le Grand Tango

THE TICKETS

Tickets are on sale in the network of Ticket Plus and online on http://ticketplus.bg. Tickets are also available from the Cantus Firmus/Ticketsbg box office at Bulgaria Concert Hall. The price is 16 leva when purchased in advance and 20 lv. at the venue in the day of the concert. Each ticket entitles its purchaser to a 5 leva discount from the price any tango class or workshop in March 2010 at TanguerIN Studio.

THE PERFORMERS

MARIA MARTINOVA (PIANO). Born in Varna, Bulgaria, Maria began playing the piano at the age of seven, inspired by a rich heritage of musicians and artists in her family. She completed her early training at the Varna School of Music and Arts, finishing with the highest distinction prior to being accepted at the Bulgarian National Conservatory. Her studies there were interrupted after only two years by an invitation to attend the Juilliard School in New York City, where she was accepted as a recipient of the Vladimir Horowitz Scholarship. At Juilliard she studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Joseph Kalichstein, as well as Felix Galimir, Albert Fuller and Samuel Sanders. Maria holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Juilliard and a Master of Music degree from the Royal Academy of Music, where she was a student of Hamish Milne and won the Foundation and the Leverhulme Awards. She also taught on behalf of the Royal Academy of Music for several years.

As a multifaceted performer-would it be in a recital, as a soloist with orchestra or as a chamber musician, in the classical or contemporary repertoire-Maria's engagements have taken her to such venues as Jahrhundert Halle in Germany, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, De Doelen, Podium Twente, Jurriaanse Zaal, Stadsgehoorzaal and Lucent Danstheater in Holland, De Roma in Belgium, St. Martin-in-the Fields, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall and Chelsea Arts Club in London, Wiener Recital Hall in Salzburg, Alice Tully Hall, the National Arts Club and the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, Recital Hall ‘Bulgaria', Studio 1 of Bulgarian National Radio, Varna Festival and State Halls and the Varna Opera and Theatre Hall. She has been broadcast on Bulgarian and Dutch National Radio networks and has performed for the Bulgarian National Television. Maria has appeared at the Ruhr Piano Festival, the Mozarteum, London Bach Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Cambridge Summer Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Varna Summer International Music Festival, Sofia Music Weeks, March Music Days, FOCUS! Festival for Contemporary Music, ppIANISSIMO Festival of Contemporary Music and IMS Prussia Cove. Her many awards include First Prize and Special Prize at the International Svetoslav Obretenov Competition, First Prize at the Marsala International Piano Competition, First Prize and Special Prize of Presto Music House at the Earth and People International Competition for Instrumentalists, the ‘Extraordinary Absolute Prize' and Special Prize after Dimitar Nenov's name at the Dimitar Nenov National Competition, First Prize at the Competition for Best Performance of a piece written by a Czech or Slovak composer, First Prize at the Golden Diana National Competition for Chamber Ensembles and the Lilian Davies Prize for best performance of a Beethoven Sonata at the Royal Academy of Music.

She has worked with such eminent musicians as Alexander Toradze, Maria Curcio, Peter Feuchtwanger, Germaine Mounier, John O'Conor, Stephen Hough, Angela Hewitt, Peter Donohoe, Alexander Satz and Claus-Christian Schuster. Maria was invited by Alexander Toradze to join the Toradze Studio for concerts at the Ruhr Piano Festival. Having been selected by Alexis Weissenberg himself, she participated in the Maestro's prestigious Master Class where she was awarded First Prize. Currently she is working with Tango maestro Gustavo Beytelmann and is an assistant of Aquiles Delle Vigne  (a pupil of Claudio Arrau) at the Rotterdam Conservatory.

Maria is also quickly establishing herself as a new name on the European tango scene, both as a founding member of TANGUARDA and a pianist for Gran Orquesta Tipica OTRA. She has had the chance to work with tango musicians such as Alfredo Marcucci, Pablo Agri, Juan Estaban Cuacci, Javier Cohen, Juan Carlos Cuacci, Victor Villena, Leo Vervelde and Wim Warman.

Her recording of the Vipere au Poing Solo Piano Suite for the soundtrack of the French film "Vipere au Poing" was released by EMI.

Maria Martinova's official site is www.mariamartinova.com.

DAVID NUÑEZ (VIOLIN). A graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium,where he was conferred on the "First Award" and "Higher Diploma"- Major Distinction diplomas upon completion of his studies with Professor Katalyn Sebestien, the "Violin Master's" - Major Distinction diploma, after completing his studies with Maestro Igor Oistrakh; and the "Chamber Music First Award"- Major Distinction and the "Chamber Music Higher Diploma"- Major Distinction diplomas. He also was awarded the "Master Composer" diploma by this prestigious institution.

David Nuñez is a Venezuelan who has resided in Brussels since 1991, where he has participated in different chamber music groups. His successful duo with Belgian guitar player Tom Pauwels is particularly worth highlighting as they have performed together several concerts and recording sessions for the radio, thereby encouraging different important composers to write music especially for them. In 1998, they baptized the Compact Disc "Concert Aujourd'hui". In 1999, they participated in two major international competitions: the famous "Decouverte Classique 1999 de l'Euroregion" organized by the Organization of European Soloists, where they were awarded the First Prize, and the "Third Osaka International Chamber Music Competition", held in Osaka, Japan, where they obtained the Bronze Medal. His orchestra career as a soloist includes presentations with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Mexico, the Symphony Orchestra of Bristol, England, and the most important Symphony Orchestras of Venezuela. He has lectured on violin for the Venezuela's Youth Orchestra Movement, in Santiago de Chile, and as an Assistant Professor at the International Music Course in Morges, Switzerland. Since 1996, he has participated as a composer and a performer in the Black Jacketts Company Contemporary Music Ensemble, where he has presented some of his music works for the first time. Currently he is the leader of Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Cristian Cisneros and Virginia Porrino from Buenos Aires will be resident teachers at TanguerIN Studio in March 2010

In March all tango classes in TanguerIN Studio will be taught by two very special resident teachers  - Cristian Cisneros and Virginia Porrino - maestros, dancers and choreographers of argentine tango from Buenos Aires. For this reason TanguerIN has decided to organize the March classes in courses all taught by the distinguished guests. It is possible to register for a full course as well as to visit individual classes. In addition to the courses for different levels in March Cristian and Virginia will teach special workshops in milonga and tango-vals.

This is the first time ever that professional argentinean tango dancers will stay as resident teachers at a local tango school in Bulgaria. TanguerIN Studio applies this innovative idea with the hope to increase the popularity of the argentine tango in the country and to speed up the development of a strong and committed community of local tango aficionados.

Here are the details about the courses and the workshops which will be taught by Cristian and Virginia to experienced tango dancers:
COURSE 1 - beginners (between 2 and 12 months) - every Tuesday from 7.00 pm until 8.30 pm (9,16,23,30 March)
COURSE 2 - intermediates (between 1 and 3 years) - every Wednesday from 7.00 pm until 8.30 pm (10,17,24,31 March)
COURSE 3 - advanced (more than 3 years) - every Wednesday from 8.45 pm until 10.15 pm (10,17,24,31 March)
COURSE 4 - technique (man/woman/couple) - every Thursday from 7.00 pm until 8.30 pm (11,18,25 March, 1 April)

WORKSHOP MILONGA - 12 and 15 March from 7.00 pm until 8.00 pm
WORKSHOP VALS - 19 and 22 March from 7.00 until 8.00 pm

There will be also one special class following a popular demand:
SPECIAL CLASS: CANYENGUE - 29 March from 6.30 pm until 8.00 pm

Note: All of the above courses and workshops are for people who already dance argentine tango. Cristian and Virginia will also teach an introductory course for absolute beginners which is aimed at those who have never before danced tango

The location for all classes and workshops will be The Czech Club ballroom, 15 Krakra St., Sofia

Prices:

- 1 course (4 classes x 90 min each) - 65 lv.
- 1 workshop (2 classes x 60 min each) - 30 lv.
- workshop pack milonga+vals (4 classes x 60 min each) - 45 lv. NEW!!
- separate class - 20 lv.
- special canyengue class - 20 lv.

Registration and participation:

COURSES AND WORKSHOPS (places are limited): Registration for a course/workshop is by paying the full amount before the first class. Fees and registrations are accepted every TUESADY and THURSDAY from 7.00 pm until 10.00 pm in the Czech Club ballroom, 15 Krakra St., Sofia. Single registrations (without a partner) are accepted. Single registration from women (followers) are accepted until 10 February.

SINGLE CLASSES: Single classes can be attended only with a partner. It is possible to come and pay before the respective class, but we encourage advance registration, since we will not allow registrations on the spot if the class is full.

Cancellation:

Cancellation of a course/workshop is possible only before the first class, in which case a cancellation fee of 10 lv. per person and per course will be deducted.

All classes will be taught in English, additional explanations in Spanish are possible.

Information about Cristian and Virginia:

Cristian started dancing Argentine folklore as a kid. Virginia has studied classical ballet, tap, flamenco and has taken classes in the most important dance schools in Buenos Aires, including the San Martin Cultural Center. They met in 1993 while dancing in the Salta Folklore Ballet, realizing that they were both attracted to tango. They soon began to polish their tango dancing skills, studying with such distinguished master as Pepito Avellaneda, Roberto Herrera, Vanina Bilous, Alejandra Mantiñan and many others.

In 1999 they toured Japan with the orchestra of Beba Pugliese. They have also performed alongside orchestras like the Sexteto Mayor, Roberto Firpo , Armando Caló , Juan de Dios Filiberto, Juan D'Arienzo and others. In 2006 they joined the famous show Forever Tango in which they perform until now. With this show they have toured the most prestigious theatres in USA, Canada, Mexico and China, receiving critical acclaim. They have performed in many other tango shows, among them Tango Seduccion, with which they visited Bulgaria in 2009 and won the hearts of the audience. In Europe they have performed at the Olympia Theater in Paris, The Kremlin in Moscow and in many other important theatres. In Buenos Aires they danced in La Ventana Tango Show, Piazzolla Tango, Teatro Astral, Metropolitan, Alvear and Cervantes National Theater. They also participated in the TV Tango Documentary "A Tribute to Osvaldo Pugliese", on National Geographic. They are well-known as tango maestros in the USA and Italy where they have taught extensively in the last years.

Official website: www.cristianyvirginia.com