'Sonico' with work by Eduardo Rovira
The spring edition of the Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen was roughly halfway through on Saturday. We attended this passionate and atmospheric concert by the internationally composed ensemble 'Sonico', with roots in Belgium. Tango music is known all over the world. The Argentine style is characterized, among other things, by its melodiousness and has undergone a rich and dynamic development. Eduardo Rovira and Astor Piazzolla belonged to the generation that upgraded traditional tango. They independently developed a modern, more complex form with elements of jazz and classical music, known as tango nuevo. Yet their position and approach differ. While Piazzolla was a man of the world and commercially minded, Rovira led a more withdrawn life and went a step further in exploration. His compositions contain more complex structures and pronounced modern harmonies. This made his music less popular with the general public, but highly appreciated by musicians and connoisseurs. He was a fantastic bandoneón player, the instrument that determines the typical melancholic sound of tango. It therefore receives a prominent place in his compositions. Time for a revival.
Moved by mastery
In his introduction and commentary, Ariel Eberstein tells more about himself and the creation of Sonico. He played in numerous large and small music ensembles, but remained somewhat unsatisfied, aspiring to something of his own. Completely drawn to the avant-garde tango music of Eduardo Rovira, he sets himself the task of bringing the work of this somewhat forgotten bandoneón player and composer, who lived in the shadow of that other great master Astor Piazzolla, back from obscurity.
In 2015, this Argentine double bass player, alumnus of the Koninklijk Conservatorium van Brussel, founded the project 'Sonico'. This after he had discovered a composer who seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. It is virtually the life's work of this Brussels ensemble that through research, recordings and international tours brings Rovira's legacy back to life and gives him the recognition this enigmatic and innovative musician/composer deserves.
Since then, the collective is the only group worldwide that exclusively focuses on reviving and performing Rovira's oeuvre. Around him he gathered some outstanding talents: pivotal bandoneón player Lysandre Donoso, only a virtuoso capable of producing such a torrent of sounds and changes at often dizzying tempos. Furthermore Alejandro Schwarz guitar, Christian Impaziente oboe and singer Claudia Pannone.
'Argentijnse gloed' became a tribute to a unique musical personality who breathed new life into traditional tango. The program that Sonico brings is not the easiest compositions. Yet the creation and sculpting of sound is in their genes. Tango music is not only for dancing to, but through the powerful sound projection, where subtle nuances and color variations contribute to the refinement of the performance, also for intense and silent listening. Rovira's style combines power with subtlety, making his music both dynamic and refined. With singer Claudia Pannone you also experience emotional depth. She sings about the most traditional of all themes: love for a partner and a country. The conflict between surrender and autonomy. Its poetry lies in deliberate precision. You listen to the rhythm of the sounds, her intonation and to the rhythm of meaning and how these two become intertwined. You are moved by the unfathomable beauty of each composition, an intangible phenomenon. In brief: a captivating experience.