Alquimia (1983)
for cello and piano
duration : 9 minutes

Alquimia is dedicated to Eduardo Vasallo. In 1984, it wins the Premio Municipal (Buenos Aires City Prize).

“Premio Municipal” (Price of the city of Buenos Aires)  in 1984

Programme note

I’ve written Alquimia in 1983 when I was still living in Buenos Aires. The work reflects the crossroad of cultures in which I was immersed: that is, in one hand, the European musical tradition and on the other hand, the influences of live popular music that were heard on the streets (like the “murgas” – musical theatre performed during the Carnival seasons).

In its formal aspect, the work consists of abrupt interruptions, which somehow reflect the political and social events of the twentieth century, that prevented durable projects to be carried off. The challenge was to achieve a coherent whole construct from these split items. For the sequences, I used, among other things, a transposition of the art of film editing.

The procedure I have used was to articulate various separation zones with other fusion zones, establishing a cultural syncretism by using simultaneously: series, modes, minimalist fragments, procedures that mimic the electronic art, and at the same time I incorporated elements from jazz and candombe (popular music of Rio de la Plata).

Past performances (non-exhaustive list)

Premiered: Eduardo Vasallo and Diana Schneider on 1983, September 24th at Fundación San Telmo, Buenos Aires

1992, may 25th – Ensemble Kaleidocollage, David Simpson and Ursula Kneihs – 16 Internationales Festival Zeitgenössischer Musik, ASPEKTE Salzburg, Austria

2000, April 19th – Ensemble Intercontemporain’s Soloists Pierre Strauch and Hidéki Nagano – Goethe Institut, Paris

2000, May 2nd – the UK premiered by Eduardo Vasallo and Cristina Filoso – CBSO Centre, Birmingham

* content missing

* content missing