The (Little) Consolations of Art Antoni Pizà has a new essay published in The Objective, entitled “La (poca) consolación del arte.” In this essay he discusses Thomas Bernhard’s novel Old Masters, as well as Rochberg’s third string quartet and works of Philip Guston and how they explore questions of art’s usefulness in times of personal tragedy.
CFP: International Reception of the Culture of Flamenco Cuadernos de ALDEEU, the interdisciplinary journal of the Society of Spanish Professionals in America, has just opened a call for submissions, for a special issue on the international reception of the culture of flamenco. Manuscripts are accepted in English and in Spanish. The deadline for submission is May 17, 2019. Click below to view the CFP in Spanish; an English translation will be available soon. [pdf-embedder url=”https://brookcenter.gc.cuny.edu/files/2018/11/Convocatoria-CUADERNOS-DE-ALDEEU-SECCIOìN-ESPECIAL-OTONÞO-2019.pdf” title=”Convocatoria CUADERNOS DE ALDEEU-SECCIOìN ESPECIAL OTONÞO 2019″]
New Samper Documentary on Spanish Television A new documentary by Victòria Morell Salom, Baltasar Samper: El Ritme Amnèsic, will premiere at Mallorca’s Evolution Film Festival, then be shown Tuesday night on the Spanish networks IB3 and TV3. The Foundation for Iberian Music’s Antoni Pizà was among the Samper experts interviewed for the documentary and he appears briefly in the film. From Evolution’s program: Baltasar Samper is the protagonist of this film that uncovers the cultural vacuum caused by one of the worst armed conflicts of Europe’s recent history: the Civil War and the subsequent exile of more than half a million Spaniards. Samper was one of the most recognized musicians of his time. You can watch the trailer and find more information about airtimes on IB3’s webpage about the documentary. Mallorca’s Diario also published an article on the documentary. On a related note, Pizà has been working on a new book on a series of lectures that Samper gave on jazz in 1935, which includes transcriptions of the lectures themselves. The book will be published this coming December. (Details forthcoming.) For more information on the lectures, see our previous post, which includes a delightful YouTube playlist of the music covered in Samper’s lectures.
Interview with Pizà in Sonograma Sonograma Magazine recently interviewed Antoni Pizà (Foundation for Iberian Music) about his work. Carme Miró asks him about his writing, teaching, and places his career has taken him. Read the full interview here (Catalan).
Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires at Le Poisson Rouge Tonight at the Graduate Center, we are hosting Maria Susana Azzi, co-author of the definitive biography of Astor Piazzolla. The book was recently reissued as an expanded anniversary edition. Azzi will present some of her new findings, along with a special performance of Piazzolla works, arranged for guitar and flute. If tonight’s event leaves you craving more Piazzolla, you’re in luck! The New York City Opera opened a rare, limited production of Piazzolla’s opera Maria de Buenos Aires on October 22. They will have two more performances, on October 26 and November 2, at Le Poisson Rouge. Enjoy this chance to experience nuevo tango in an intimate cabaret space! Standing room tickets are available for only $10.
Piazzolla in the Present: A Conversation with Maria Susana Azzi Next Tuesday, October 23, we will have a discussion with Maria Susana Azzi, one of the authors of the definitive biography of Astor Piazzolla, Le Grand Tango: The Life and Music of Astor Piazzolla (2000). Le Grand Tango is co-authored by Simon Collier, a pioneer in Latin American studies, who passed away in 2003. In March of 2018, twenty-five years after Piazzolla’s death, their biography was re-released in a revised and expanded “anniversary” edition, with more than a hundred pages of new material. Azzi will discuss her work as Piazzolla’s leading biographer with Foundation for Iberian Music director Antoni Pizà and Federico Díaz, a DMA candidate at the Graduate Center whose work focuses on Piazzolla. Díaz will perform several of Piazzolla’s work on guitar, with flutist Andrea White, who is also a DMA candidate at the Graduate Center. The event will be live streamed on the Graduate Center website, beginning at 7:30 pm. Free admission, no reservations required 7:30 pm 23 October 2018 Segal Theater, The Graduate Center
“The Body Questions” Conference Program The final program for the upcoming conference, “The Body Questions: Celebrating Flamenco’s Tangled Roots,” is now available! [pdf-embedder url=”https://brookcenter.gc.cuny.edu/files/2018/10/The-Body-Questions-final-program.pdf” title=”The Body Questions final program”] The program covers both days of the conference. Please view for the full schedule on the 15th and 16th, as well as performer bios and paper abstracts. Please note that on the 16th, we will have dual sessions, running simultaneously in the Segal Theater and in room 9204 (on the ninth floor). We have an additional program for the 15th only, which has notes/artist statements for the pieces. You can view or download it here. As a quick reference, here are time, venue, and registration details: Oct 15th: FIT, Haft Theater (Feldman Building), 2:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Advance registration through Eventbrite will be available until the start time; on-site registration is also available, in the Haft Theater. Oct 16th: The Graduate Center, Segal Theater and room 9204, 9:30 am (welcome reception) to 6:30 pm. On-site registration will be at the Segal Theater. Admission to all conference events is free, but registration is required. Lastly, don’t forget, after the conference conclusion, we have a special concert by Raúl Rodríguez at La Nacional. (Conference attendance is not required.) Advance tickets are $15 student/senior, $20 regular. Sales through Eventbrite will be available up to the concert start time. Tickets are $20/25 at the door. To help our conference attendees find time to eat, La Nacional has kindly offered a 10% discount in their restaurant for anyone presenting a conference program/registration.
Joaquín Rodrigo: “The Guitar and Beyond” JOAQUÍN RODRIGO: AN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION THE GUITAR AND BEYOND Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999), composer and piano virtuoso, one of the major figures in Spanish music and a member of New York’s Hispanic Society, is revered throughout the world for his hauntingly beautiful guitar concerto, Concierto de Aranjuez, one of the most popular concertos of all time. In addition, Rodrigo is renowned for his solo guitar music. Less known is his enormous catalogue of more than 150 brilliant and original works for voice, piano and chamber music. 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Maestro Rodrigo’s death and provides a unique opportunity to re-discover and re-evaluate his contributions to the musical world and explore his lesser known masterpieces. The Foundation for Iberian Music of the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY), the Hispanic Museum and Library, Voices of Ascension, among other institutions in the city of New York, are joining together to organize a city-wide Rodrigo Festival beginning in December, 2018 and continuing throughout 2019. Events include a three concert series organized by the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, a concert at the CUNY Graduate Center organized by the Foundation for Iberian Music, a concert by Voices of Ascension (Dennis Keene, Artistic Director), along with other events.
NYAE at Shephardi Music Festival One of our resident ensembles, New York Andalus Ensemble, will be performing at the upcoming American Shephardi Music Festival, on October 7, and they’ve been given the honor of the headline slot at 8:00! Tickets are only $20. For those who would like to attend all three days of the festival, a pass is available for $75 which will grant admission to each concert. The festival takes place October 4, 7, & 8 at NYC’s Center for Jewish History. Performers run the gamut from traditional Jewish and Islamic music of medieval Al-Andalus (such as the NYAE) to modern Shephardi blues. Click the above link to see the full line up.