Recognized worldwide as a master of bandoneon and concert accordion, Peter Soave has established himself as one of the leading soloists of his generation. The hallmark of his performances is a unique combination of his commanding stage presence and the excitement of his vibrant virtuosity.
These talents were called upon and recognized with critical acclaim during the recent production by the Chicago Opera Theater’s (COT) production of “Maria de Buenos Aires” which concluded on April 27th.
The Chicago Tribune’s journalist John von Rhein reported that ‘just as the composer, Astor Piazzolla, breathed new life into the tango as a musical form, so has Andreas Mitisek, COT’s brilliant general director, transformed a dramatically static piece into a chilling examination of one woman’s fate during Argentina’s 1976-83 “Dirty War” against dissidents. An estimated 30,000 people were abducted, imprisoned, tortured, murdered or simply disappeared under the brutal rule of a military dictatorship.
Piazzolla’s 1968 magnum opus, with a surreal libretto by Horacio Ferrer, is a kind of song-and-dance Passion play, in which Maria, a streetwalker “born on a day when God was drunk,” represents both the Virgin Mary and Jesus. She is killed by pimps and thieves and, after her resurrection, gives birth to a beatified version of herself. The 75-minute piece, which its creators dubbed a “tango operita,” unfolds more as a series of poetic tableaux than an opera — hence the challenge to all who would stage it.
Mitisek has done so brilliantly, using a narrator and two singers, plus eight dancers from Chicago’s Luna Negra Dance Theater, to create a beautifully integrated swirl of song, speech, dance, mime, dramatic action and video imagery. It’s as fluid and intoxicating as the tango rhythms that well up from the nine-member pit band under Mitisek’s baton.
In the conductor-director-designer’s gritty retelling, Maria represents all women who disappeared or died ignominiously in the “Dirty War.” Her former lover, now an old man called El Duende, recalls in flashbacks their brief happiness before she is captured, raped and left to languish in a prison cell. Here the bandoneon sings a song of mourning far removed from the snappy, slinky music of seduction commonly associated with the tango.
That Mitisek makes the conceptual unity work without having to change a single word of Ferrer’s richly metaphoric text, or a single note in Piazzolla’s catchy score, is remarkable. As conductor, he is fully inside the musical idiom, as Piazzolla’s tangos shift the mood from romantic to anxious to consoling. His ensemble of strings, flute, piano, percussion and, most crucially, bandoneon, is right there with him. Peter Soave deserves a special shout-out for the marvellous way in which he makes his expressive bandoneon virtually a full-fledged character in the drama.
Some of the many other reviews included:
Newcity Stage review quote:
Kudos as well to the two narrators, Gregorio Luke and Gregorio Gonzalez, and to bandoneon player Peter Soave, who manages to constantly keep our interest, even when playing a single note quietly, but expressively. (Dennis Polkow)
Chicago Music review quote:
Ultimately, the music drove the show’s energy with strong solo performances from violinist Florentina Ramniceanu, cellist Mark Lekas, and flutist Mary Stolper. Peter Soave’s bandoneon let one imagine the composer himself in the pit. Never a company to shy away from risks, Chicago Opera Theater – with Mitisek firmly in command – put on a visually and aurally intoxicating production. (Margaret Sutherlin)
Chicago Theater Beat review quote:
Peter Soave on the bandoneón turns one note into many emotional evocations. (Clint May)
No stranger to the American accordion scene, Peter’s earliest memories are of music played on an accordion. By age three, he was certain of his life’s work. He began music studies at five, and quickly gravitated towards classical music. At sixteen, he entered international competitions and swept first place four times, confirming his reputation as a virtuoso of the highest order: Grand Prix in Neu Isenberg, West Germany; Klingenthal Wettbewerb in East Germany; Coupe Mondiale in Folkstone, England; and the Trophee Mondiale in Arrezano, Italy.
In 1987, Peter Soave was the inaugural recipient of “Voce d’Oro,” the international award honoring those who have given prominence to the accordion in the world of modern music. Deeply inspired by the music of Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla, Peter’s impassioned musicianship motivated him to include the characteristic bandoneon in his performances.
He has appeared as a soloist and with orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout North and South America, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Russia. He has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Zagreb Philharmonic, Windsor Symphony, Flint Symphony, San Salvador Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, Lubbock Symphony, Bellevue Philharmonic, Walla Walla Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, Williamsport Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho and The Zagreb Soloists. In addition, he has collaborated with conductors such as James Levine, Neeme Jarvi, Thomas Wilkins, Robert Spano, Leone Mageira, Hermann Michael, Duilio Dobrin, and Guillermo Figueroa. For the only North America appearance in 1999 of the “Three Tenors,” Peter performed as the featured bandoneonist. He has also appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
In 2007, Soave premiered Astor Piazzolla’s oratorio “El Pueblo Joven”, written for symphony orchestra, voice recitative, soprano, bandoneon, choir, and percussion, with the Radio Romania Chamber Orchestra, Romania.
Peter has had numerous compositions written for him by the Venezuela’s foremost composer, Aldemaro Romero: “Piazzollana-Homage à Piazzolla” for bandoneon and full orchestra; “Suite de Castelfidardo” for bandoneon and string orchestra; “Soavecito” for accordion and string orchestra; and “Tango Furioso” for bandoneon and string quartet. Romero’s “Five Paleontological Mysteries,” for accordion and string quartet, received its American premiere in Detroit in February 2008 and its European premiere in Italy in July 2008.
His discography includes a solo album “Pride and Passion,” “Five Tango Sensations” with The Rucner String Quartet, a double CD “Undertango 2,” and “Peter Soave & Symphony Orchestra,” featuring the music of Astor Piazzolla and Carmine Coppola. His recording awards include the Detroit Music Award for Best Classical Recording in 2001 and Best Classical Instrumentalist in 2003.
Eager to harmonize nature and music, more recently, Peter founded the Peter Soave Music Academy in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy in 2010, welcoming music lovers to convene and share. For more information, please visit www.petersoave.com
