Richard Scofano
KAIA String Quartet www.kaiastringquartet.com
PERFORMERS
Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago
Mina Zikri, Conductor
Richard Scofano, Bandoneón
KAIA String Quartet
PROGRAM
ASTOR PIAZZOLLA Adios Nonino
GERARDO MATOS RODRIGUEZ, La Cumparsita
arr. Gerardo Moreira
RICHARD SCOFANO Iberá Concerto for Bandoneón and Orchestra*
WOLFGANG MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major
*World premiere
ABOUT THE IBERÁ AND RICHARD SCOFANO
Iberá in Guaraní means ‘bright waters,’ a reference to one of most important and beautiful wetlands in the world, located in the province of Corrientes, Northeastern Argentina, a province at the crossroads of Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. This concert is inspired by the Iberá, by its gorgeous flora and fauna, and celebrates the impact of these wetlands in the cultural richness of Corrientes. Perhaps the strongest of all cultural influences in this piece comes from the Chamamé, also a regional phenomenon, but this one created by the local peoples. Very much like the Iberá, the chamamé is many things at once: a folk genre…music, dance, song, and singing...it is faith, beliefs, myths, and values...symbols and language...it is food, wine, and friendship...it is the Paraná and the Uruguay rivers with their lonely fishermen...it is the Guaraní culture as embodied by the ones who settled in those ancient lands...it is the Sapucai, the cry that expresses so many feelings and emotions, the cry that summons one’s Duende, and communicates so many feelings and nostalgia.
Born in 1976 in Paso de los Libres, Argentina, Richard Scofano is the descendant of three generations of bandoneón players. Grandson of bandoneonist Pepito Scofano and son of Chamamé legend Ricardo Scofano, Richard grew up in the midst of it all. He is respected by his peers as one of the most important bandoneón virtuosos of his generation as well as a superlative composer and arranger. This concert is a testimony to Scofano’s mastering of the genre, to his musical craft, and to his ability to combine both through an exceptional creative genius, proposing a new way to present the richness of his culture. It is a demonstration of his unconditional love for the traditions celebrated in the history of the peoples, lands, and rivers, who had their hearts, souls, rhythms and cycles formed and transformed by the bright waters of the Iberá.
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING
Anderson Chapel is a long, narrow building just east of the corner of Foster and Spaulding and just west of the Old Main building. You can enter the chapel from either the east or west side about a half block into the campus from Foster. Guest parking is available in the lot at Kedzie and Foster.