Three Performances
Friday, May 9 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 10 @ 2:30 PM
Saturday, May 10 @ 7:30 PM
*Join us 45 minutes before each concert for a free 25-minute pre-concert talk
Join us at the Gardner Theatre to experience Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor, perhaps the best first symphony ever composed. The concert opens with Claude Debussy's tone poem Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, painting a musical vision of paradise. Then, we are given a glimpse of a world without evil through the music of Argentinian composer and master bandoneonist Richard Scofano, who joins us to perform his original composition, La Tierra Sin Mal.
Take advantage of this opportunity to experience the emotional power of music through a concert guaranteed to move and inspire us all.
Featuring:
Michael Butterman, conductor
Richard Scofano, composer and bandoneon
PROGRAM:
—Claude Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
—Richard Scofano: La Tierra Sin Mal
—Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Meet Richard Scofano
Richard Scofano, a master of the bandoneón, was born in Paso de los Libres, Argentina, and is the descendant of three generations of bandoneonists. Beyond his renowned virtuosity, musicality, and sensibility, Scofano is also an accomplished composer, arranger, and musical director. He began his studies at age five with his father, Ricardo Scofano, who was a landmark in the Argentine musical genre of the Chamamé. Richard grew up in the center of the folk traditions and culture of Northeast Argentina in a home constantly filled with musicians and singers, and nowadays, his artistry is a testimony to his mastering of the genre, his musical craft, and his ability to combine both through an exceptional creative genius. Scofano has always nurtured an interest in the music of neighboring Brazil and is passionate about the study of concert music.
With forty years of professional work, Scofano has taken his music worldwide and is held in high esteem by fellow musicians and audiences alike. Richard has played throughout South America, North America, Europe, Japan, China and Australia. In 2014-2015 he toured China as music director of the show Identidad, which included some of his music in the program. In 2015, Scofano composed the music for Carmen de Buenos Aires, an adaptation of the script of the opera Carmen for a tango/flamenco version that premiered in Boston in November 2015. Also in 2015, he created a duo with pianist Alfredo Minetti, and they toured extensively throughout the US, Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Brazil.
In October 2016, he premiered his Iberá (concerto for bandoneon and orchestra) with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago under the direction of Mina Zikri. This concert has been performed in the US, Argentina (including the prestigious Sala Ballena Azul at the CCK in Buenos Aires), and Brazil. 2016 also marked the release of his CD Estaciones with his original compositions. In this recording, Scofano debuted his original contribution to his native genre.
In 2017, the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, IN, invited Scofano to perform a concert with his music. In 2018, Yamandú Costa invited him to perform with him at the Guitar Salon International in Santa Monica, CA. He performed again with Yamandu in 2019 in New York at the Sony Hall Concert, in Montreal, Canada, at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and at the Vail Jazz Festival in Vail, Colorado, and again in 2022 to perform at Yamandu’s American tour.
In 2020, Scofano was commissioned by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO). Inspired by a Guarani legend, he wrote a symphonic poem entitled La Tierra Sin Mal (for bandoneon and orchestra), which he premiered with ROCO in September of that same year. He’s made numerous TV and radio appearances and interviews, and his music has been featured on radio, including on Performance Today, conducted by Fred Child.
He has participated in many recordings as a producer, arranger, and performer. In September 2022, he performed his Concerto for Bandoneon and Orchestra (Iberá) and his symphonic poem (La Tierra Sin Mal) with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (OSB) under the direction of Lanfranco Marcelleti. In November of the same year, he performed his symphonic poem and Astor Piazzolla’s “Concerto for Bandoneon” (Aconcagua) with the New Mexico Philarmonic under the direction of Roberto Minczuk. Richard performed his compositions again in a duo with Alfredo Minetti in June of 2023 at Chicago’s PianoForte, as the duo traveled to Brazil for a series of concerts in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, one of which was the renowned SESC Instrumental, at their Consolação theater, in the city of São Paulo. This tour also included a performance with Minetti and guests at the legendary Sala Cecília Meireles, in downtown Rio de Janeiro.
In November of 2023, Richard performed his symphonic poem with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Michael Butterman (Boulder, CO). In the same month, he performed with the legendary guitarist Sergio Assad at the Bolton Guitar Studies Program and the Tucson Guitar Society at the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ). In January 2024, Scofano performed with guitarist Yamandu Costa at the 33rd Fiesta Nacional del Chamamé in Corrientes, Argentina. Later in the month, he performed his La Tierra Sin Mal with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Butterman (Shreveport, LA). In March of 2024, Richard performed again with Sergio Assad at the Auditorio de la Deputación de Alicante, Alicante, Spain, before heading to Portugal, where he recorded some of his new compositions in Montemor-o-Novo, a city near Portugal’s capital of Lisbon.