'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 While Piazzolla was a man of the world and commercially minded, Rovira led a more withdrawn life and went a step further in exploration.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 bandoneon player, an instrument that determines the typical melancholic sound of tango. It therefore receives a prominent place in his compositions. Time for a revival.
Touched 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 musical ensembles, but always felt there was something missing—he aspired to something of his own. Completely taken by the avant-garde tango music of Eduardo Rovira, he sets himself the task of bringing back the work of this somewhat forgotten bandoneon player and composer, who lived in the shadow of that other master Astor Piazzolla, from obscurity.
In 2015, this Argentine double bass player, alumnus of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, founded the project 'Sonico'. This came after he discovered a composer who seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. It is essentially 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 has been the only group worldwide that exclusively focuses on reviving and performing Rovira's oeuvre. Around him he gathered some top-class musicians: key figure bandoneon player Lysandre Donoso, only a virtuoso can produce such a waterfall of sounds and changes at often breathtaking speed. Furthermore Alejandro Schwarz guitar, Christian Impaziente oboe and singer Claudia Pannone.
'Argentine glow' became a homage to a unique musical personality who breathed new life into traditional tango. The program that Sonico performs is not the easiest of compositions. However, creating and sculpting sound is in their genes. Tango music is not only for dancing to, but through powerful sound projection, where subtle nuances and color variations contribute to the refinement of the interpretation, also for intense and quiet listening. Rovira's style combines strength with subtlety, which makes 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. The poetry of it lies in the 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 touched by the unfathomable beauty of each composition, an elusive phenomenon. Briefly put: a captivating experience.
