Maja Lisac Barroso, saxophone & Marcelo Nisinman, bandoneon
Kromberk Castle
MAJA LISAC BARROSO, saxophone and arrangements
MARCELO NISINMAN, bandoneon and composition
- - -
The current programme Aire (AIR) by the saxophone and bandoneon duo presents a variegated journey into the world of tango music. It covers three styles: traditional tango, tango nuevo (compositions by M. Nisinman) and sacred music.
Maja Lisac Barroso is a Slovenian-Swiss assistant professor and saxophonist, who successfully moves within a wide variety of music genres. Marcelo Nisinman, Astor Piazzolla’s former student, is and a world-renowned bandoneon player from Argentina. The duo has been performing for eight years. In 2012, they recorded the album Pasion Poetica with the Sony/Solo Musica label. In February 2019, they recorded their second album Aire in cooperation with the Swiss Radio SRF.
- - -
AIRE/AIR
Programme:
M. Nisinman:
HOMBRE TANGO
C. Gardel:
CUANDO TU NO ESTAS
A. de Cabezón:
TIENTO DEL SEXTO TONO
P. Datta,
arrangements M. Nisinman:
EL AEROPLANO
D. Buxtehude:
DANKET DEM HERRN, DENN ER IST FREUNDLICH
J.C. Cobián:
LOS MAREADOS
Barbara:
NANTES
A. Piazzolla:
BORDEL 1900
M. Nisinman:
ARGENTINOS EN EUROPA
A. Piazzolla,
arrangements M. Nisinman:
JEANNE Y PAUL
- - -
The musicians Lisac Barroso and Nisinman met seven years ago for several concert tours and for the recording of the album "Pasion poetica" (Solomusica/SONY) with the tango ensemble Saxism. In 2017 they formed a duo with the project "AIRE". This project highlights the historical evolution of the Tango, from the original function of the bandoneon as a replacement of the organ in the churches of Argentina (Ancient Music), up to today's Tango Nuevo (Nisinmans compositions). In between, we can find traditional Tangos, a witty polka, Chansons and improvised sections. The saxophone player uses saxophones in different sizes, from soprano to the bass saxophone. In this way, the versatile musician is active in numerous functions: from a rhythmic and leading bass, to a floating solo melody, and at times, she completely merges with the sound of the bandoneon. The bandoneon player, an internationally respected Tango soloist, composer and former protégé of Astor Piazzolla, is known for his extremely subtle playing and dark humour in his compositions. This program was recorded on a CD in February 2019 and co-produced by the Swiss Public Radio SRF. It is to be released soon at IBS Classical/Naxos.
MAJA LISAC BARROSO
Maja Lisac Barroso is a Slovenian-Swiss saxophonist, adjunct professor and arranger, born in Basel in 1980. After her classical studies in Vienna, Basel and Paris, she was invited to perform in numerous European countries, Mexico and Australia. Maja Lisac gives masterclasses and is a jury member at various international competitions. Her music arrangements are played by soloists like Claude Delangle (CNSM Paris) and Daniel Gauthier. She is at home in various musical genres (Classical, Contemporary, Latin, Jazz), and tours as a soloist and with several groups. She is the founder of the Zure Saxophone quartet, the duo with the bandoneon player Marcelo Nisinman, the duo with the pianist Andriy Dragan, the Ensemble Nucleus with newly invented instruments, performs with the Basel String Quartet and tango singer Marcela Arroyo. Maja Lisac receives awards and scholarships from Novartis, the canton Basel-Land and the Friedl Wald foundation. In 2008, Maja Lisac was elected for a one-year residency at the Cité Intérnationale des Arts in Paris, where she collaborated with composers and improvisers (V. Globokar, B. Saljic, I. Leitinger) and played world premieres of their compositions. In 2009, Maja Lisac became an adjunct professor of prof. Marcus Weiss at the Music University in Basel. Currently, she teaches as an assistant professor at the Jazzcampus in Basel, where she gives classical saxophone and technique classes for Master students, and at different music high schools. In 2015, Maja Lisac performed twice in duo with the US saxophonist Branford Marsalis. She recorded an album for the label Solo Musica/Sony and IBS Classical/Naxos, which was broadcasted by the Slovenian national television and radio ARS. In 2020, Maja will direct her own classical concert series in Basel called "Saxophone & Seasons".
MARCELO NISINMAN
‘The star was Nisinman, an enigmatic half smile playing around his lips he coaxed chromatic impossibilities from the tangle of buttons and fingers at his left hand and lower, throatier lines from the right.‘ The Independent UK
Born in Buenos Aires in 1970, Marcelo Nisinman is an internationally renowned bandoneon player, composer and arranger, taking bandoneon playing and tango music to a new level. Nisinman studied bandoneon with Julio Pane and composition with Guillermo Graetzer in Buenos Aries and Detlev Müller-Siemens in Basel. Nisinman is much in demand as a soloist playing with orchestras and at festivals around the world. He has performed with Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Britten Sinfonia, Gary Burton, Paquito d’Rivera, Fernando Suarez Paz, Ute Lemper, Assad Brothers, and the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit. He has appeared as a soloist with the WDR Big Band under Vince Mendoza, the Arpeggione Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de La Loire conducted by John Axelrod and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Belgrad, amongst others. His compositions are diverse and original with their origins in Buenos Aires. Moreover, Nisinman takes inspiration from other forms and techniques, creating his own personal style that breaks traditions and rules of the ‘Musica Porteña’ (Music from Buenos Aires). He has composed for a diverse range of groups; from symphony orchestras, to string quartets and in 2004, he wrote his first chamber opera ‘Señor Retorcimientos’ which premiered in Basel. In 2008 he was a composer in residence at the Oxford Chamber Music Festival and since then has been invited as composer/performer to numerous other festivals including; Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Finland), Sonoro Festival (Bucharest) Consonances (St Nazaire in France). In 2009 was also an artist in residence at the Boswil festival in Switzerland, and in 2011 he was invited as a performer and composer to the Zeitkunst Festival in Berlin and in Paris at the Centre Pompidou. Nisinman has also composed a number of vocal works including ‘Desvios’, with the text of Carlos Trafic (released on Acqua Records, 2009) and his new version of ‘Maria de Buenos Aires’ (Acqua Records 2010). In 2009, together with the clarinettist Chen Halevi, he formed his own quartet Tango Factory. The group brings together 4 very different musicians in order to explore tango music, playing works by Nisinman, Porat, and Nisinman's arrangements of Piazzolla’s works, Weill and others. In 2012, Marcelo premiered his piece for Bandoneon and Orchestra ‘Dark Blue Tango’ together with the Argentina National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Facundo Agudin. He was also invited to Ireland and Germany, both as composer and performer by the Vogler String Quartet. Besides that, he participated as a performer and a composer with Martha Argerich and Friends at the 2013 edition of the Ravenna Music Festival, as well. During 2014, he collaborated as a composer with Gerard Depardieu & Philippe Graffin and in 2015 with the WDR Big Band with Paquito d’Rivera. In November 2015, he premiered his pieces Hombre Tango and 4 am Tango for bandoneon and orchestra in Buenos Aires, together with the National Symphony Orchestra of Argentina, conducted by Christian Baldini. During the Kuhmo Festival 2016 in Finland, Alberto Mesirca premiered his piece for guitar solo Alberto’s Tango. At the beginning of 2016, Nachum’s Tango for violin and orchestra premiered in Karlsruhe, Germany by Nachum Erlich. In March 2017, he premiered his 6 pieces for bandoneon & symphonic orchestra in Teatro Solis, together with the Symphonic Wind Band of Montevideo, in Uruguay. During 2018, he presented his new ensemble FRANZ in Buenos Aires, as well two orchestral world premieres of Chen’s Tango 1 and 4 for Vogler together with the Argentine National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariano Chiacchiarini.