Violão Sincopado

A synesthesia of Latin American rhythms and Jtalian imprints

Between the lively rhythms and fiery passion, Latin America lives deeply from the ltalian cultural heritage. Each note is a bridge that unites worlds and cultures, in an embrace that celebrates art without borders.
The CD opens with an arrangement for two guitars of the piece 7 Am is, original for piano, by Egberto Gismonti (1947), transcribed by Maestro Pierpaolo Matterazzo and subsequently arranged by Antonio Beimonte and Simone Evar. Egberto Gismonti, whose mother is Sicilian and his father Lebanese, absorbed multiple influences in his training, from classical music to serialism, and on to the exploration of indigenous rhythms thanks to his contacts with the Xingu Indians. These contaminations offer him a new vision of music and composition: Gismonti thus skilfully blends classical and Brazilian folk styles, from bossanova to choro, along with other musical genres such as jazz and rock. The piece is deliberately kept in the original key of G flat major to keep faith with the composer's synaesthetic and evocative vision, which attributes a unique colour to each tonality. Analysis of the form reveals different musical dialogues: the rhythmic part is typical of the choro, widely used and explored in elements such as harmony inversions, the use of groups of three notes at the beginning of phrases and accent shifts. The work in question is inspired by the memory of Gismonti's aunt, pia­ nist and composer, Amelia.
Antonio Beimonte continues with a duo with cellist Alessandro Dore, performing the Sonata for cello and guitar by Radames Gnattali (1906-1988). Gnattali, son of ltalians who emigrated to Brazil, was a multi-instrumentalist and excellent pianist, as weil as a composer and conductor. His compositions and arrangements dissolved the barriers between erudite and popular music, one of the main aims of Gnattali's activity. Musical versatility thus becomes the driving force that leads him to compose for unusual formations such as the duo cello and guitar, instruments that in Gnattali's works intertwine in a skilful sonic balance. The Sonata is divided into three movements: in the first, a lively dialogue is created between the guitar and cello, with incisive rhythmic passages and flowing melodies; the use of seventh and ninth chords gives the movement a modern and sophisticated character, creating contrasting tensions and emotions. The second movement is characterised by greater intimacy and melancholy; the chromatic modulations and chords used give the movement an

emotional depth, evoking a sense of nostalgia and contemplation . Finally, the third movement features a fast-paced, virtuosic rhythm of the two instruments. In each movement, Gnattali demonstrates extreme mastery in the use of harmony to create effects oftension and constant movement, culminating in a finale with a brilliant and engaging character.
The real name of composer and guitarist Jorge Morel (1931-2021) was Jorge Scibona . He had parents of Sicilian origin and, due to mispronunciation of his surname, he was advised to use the surname 'Morel'. Always an art lover, his music was born from the synergy between composition and figurative art; the strings of his guitar vibrate like brushes on a canvas, painting soundscapes that teil of his passion for art and painting, inextricably intertwined with the music that made his works immortal. The piece for solo guitar proposed by Antonio Beimonte is his Sonatina, dedicated to the Scottish guitarist David Russell. Composed in 1986, the work consists of three movement s, each ofwhich is characterised by particular atmospheres and technical peculiarities: in particular, it is the striking rhythmic changes and dynamic fades that are the protagonists in the Sonatina's sound path. More complex harmonic passages alternate with more essential sections to create a dynamic and engaging balance.

Finally, Antonio Beimonte presents two new works dedicated to him by Calabrian composer Daniele Fabio (1984): Distango and La danza del/e pietre . Daniele Fabio's multifaceted training path goes from the Renaissance lute to jazz, from rock to pop, to the study of ethnic instruments such as the Arabic oud, the lrish bouzouki, the ocarina and various types of percussion . Daniele Fabio blends tradition andartistic innovation, his music enchants the soul and transports the listener on a deep emotional and introspective journey. In his works one can hear sound traces dating back to the
history of Magna Grecia, an inexhaustible source of inspiration, and each of his compositions is imbued with love and respect for his homeland, Calabria. The first of the two tracks, Distango, has a clear evocative value: the reference to the tango can be discerned in the ostinato of the rhythmic cell, on which the themes and harmonies of the piece are developed, even though, in the final analysis, it is not a tango in the full sense of the word, rather it is something that, as the title suggests, is more distant from it. The piece exploits the idiomatic aspect of the instrument and the sound language mixes tonal and modal aspects. The composer recognises the virtuosity of his writing as 'necessary, concrete and material' and not merely stylistic, while the character of

Distango is ironic, full of surprises that border, at times, on irreverence. As the history of music teaches us, the Latinising tango is not exempt from the cultural contamina­ tions that Argentina experienced in the 19th century, and a good contribution was made by ltalian migrants mostly from southern ltaly. Here the circle of footsteps and rhythms closes again, with a Calabrian author dedicating to his fellow countryman a piece that is emblematic of a distant yet universally comprehensible contemporaneity.
How does a stone dance? Daniele Fabio teils us in his piece for two guitars, La danza delle pietre (The Dance of Stones).
Static and apparently powerless, the stone is brought into play in the form of a synecdoche: the mountain is the protagonist of the piece, a clear and hilarious reference to the surname of the piece's dedicatee, but also an expedient for narrating a story about firmness in music.
The piece opens with a series of fifth intervals, synonymous with stability in music. Thus the composer accompanies us on this ascent, in a limpid, vital Latin dance, without explicit citations to any genre, until we reach the ethereal arpeggios that symbolise the arrival at the summit; from here a sort of cavalcade to descend the imposing mountain and finally a reprise in which stability once again resounds. The two guitars dialogue and concert with each other, as if they were a single instrument with a single soul.
Antonio Beimonte and Simone Evar thus close this fascinating journey, between the beauty ofthe Latin world and the love for ltaly.