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2013 HONORARY CO-PRESIDENTS

Daniel Piazzolla

Daniel Piazzolla

In concert Saturday, March 2 at 8 p.m.

Daniel Piazzolla was born under a very promising musical sign in Buenos Aires in the early 1970s. The grandson of the immortal Astor, the grandmaster of tango, and son of renowned pianist Daniel, “Pipi” (as he’s been nicknamed) began attending concerts by his illustrious forebears at an early age. Raised in an environment in which music was as important as the air you breathe, he naturally adopted the musical vocation-with no family pressure, he insists. Following his own path, albeit with the curiosity and daring befitting his noble lineage, he turned to the drums, taking up formal lessons during his teen years-his first teachers were Rolando “Oso” Picardi, Horacio Lopez, Fernando Martinez and Sebastián Peyceré.

At the same time, Daniel Piazzolla perfected his art as part of such groups as Masa Trío, Sabrosas Zariguellas and the Lito Vitale Quinteto. In 1999, he created the jazz sextet Escalandrum-a conflation of the words escalandrún, a sand shark much coveted by the avid fishermen of the Piazzolla clan, and drum, the instrument so beloved by the musician-and released a debut album, Bar de los amigos, the following year. Although he confesses that tango runs hot in his veins, Piazzolla displays a remarkable ease with the musical grammar of jazz.

His formidable mastery of the percussive arts also makes him a highly sought-after collaborator. Alongside his activities in Escalandrum, Daniel Piazzolla has performed with such names as Gloria Estefan, Chick Corea, Danilo Perez and Gary Burton, among many others, and offers occasional master classes. Proudly assuming the mantle of honorary co-president of MEL 2013, he brings us the concert-tribute to Astor Piazzolla that has caused a sensation just about everywhere in the world, including in Buenos Aires and, recently, at the legendary Birdland in New York.

Alain Lefèvre

Alain Lefèvre

In concert Saturday, February 23 at 8 p.m.

Alain Lefèvre has performed everywhere, in virtually every time zone on the planet, with the grandest orchestras, from Paris to Buenos Aires, Berlin to London, Montréal to Shanghai. He’s been awarded innumerable prizes including a Juno, an Opus and a mantle full of Félix trophies, has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada, Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec… Finally, the SPACQ presented him with the André Gagnon Award, saluting his talents as a composer. But Lefèvre is most at home with his grand piano, seeking out new musical lands—Payette, Dompierre and Boudreau—paying tribute to André Mathieu or continually extending the classical repertoire.

The festival honors Alain Lefèvre, the composer. The Yamaha piano is his partner, his accomplice; better yet, his confidant. The artist opens his heart to the keyboard, his hands sculpting emotions and giving form to sounds that capture inexpressible pain, like a parent’s death (Petite mère, Un ange passe), immortalizing the places close to his heart (Songe à Charlevoix, Ville-Émard la Belle, or Le Panda magique), or a memory of China or Balalaîka. Every person and place has been rewarded with a musical dedication. The Megaron (Athens Concert Hall) knew enough to commission him to record Trois Préludes.

His music, from Fidèles Insomnies (Blissfully Sleepless) to Jardin d’Images (Picture Garden), glimmers with an intimacy that establishes a bond with each of us. Thus does Alain Lefèvre transport us with him to our secret gardens.

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