In order to celebrate the National Day of Romania, one of the most important dates in the calendar of public and cultural diplomacy, and also taking into account the restrictions imposed globally, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv (RCI Tel Aviv) will broadcast online, on December 1st, from 17: 00, the “Piazzolla 99” concert, within the Stradivarius International Tour 2020, performed by Alexandru Tomescu (violin), together with Omar Massa (bandoneon).
The video will be broadcast for the first time on the official Facebook page of ICR Tel Aviv: https://www.facebook.com/icr.telaviv/ and on the Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrV8OAoQyKqOA7d1dGrFesQ
“Piazzolla 99” concert music program within the Stradivarius International Tour 2020
Handel - Adagio in D major / Bach - Aria pe coarda sol
Beethoven - Duo in C major / Massenet - Meditatia
Kreisler - Prelude and Allegro / Dan Popescu - A Cry for Solitude
Piazzolla - Bruno y Sarah / Piazzolla - Calambre
Piazzolla - Night Club 1960 / Piazzolla - Oblivion
Piazzolla - Libertango / Omar Massa - Avincis Tango
Enescu - Hora Unirii / Porumbescu - Balada
Artists: Alexandru Tomescu - Stradivarius Elder-Voicu Violin and Omar Massa - Bandoneon
The program of the "Piazzolla 99" show, performed within the Stradivarius International Tour 2020, offers the public two facets of the violin-bandoneon duet. On the one hand, the established pieces from the repertoire of the great Astor Piazzolla, the great master of Tango, born 99 years ago, and on the other hand, a lesser known side of this special instrument - namely, classical repertoire.
The work "A Cry for Solitude" by the composer Dan Popescu was written especially for this Stradivarius tour, being inspired by the painful realities of the pandemic generated by the Covid virus. It is dedicated to all those who have suffered from this disease and also to all those who fight the virus.
Alexandru Tomescu (b. 1976), violinist, graduated from the Bucharest Conservatory (1995-1999) under the guidance of Ștefan Gheorghiu, the most important present day Romanian pedagogue in the violin school, and obtained scholarships in the USA and Switzerland, where he studied with Eduard Schmieder (2000) and Tibor Varga (2001). With an impressive career, spanning 4 continents and over 30 countries, Alexandru Tomescu stands out as the leader of the young generation of Romanian violinists. Everywhere, both the public and the press appreciate the charismatic personality of the artist, the depth and beauty of his performances. Alexandru Tomescu's record includes over 100 national first prizes and no less than 26 international distinctions in prestigious competitions such as: Niccolo Paganini (Italy), Pablo Sarasate (Spain), Marguerite Long - Jacques Thibaud (France) or Romania's George Enescu Festival. In recent years he has been invited to join the famous violin teachers in the juries of international competitions in Italy, France or Romania. His violin chords resonated in the world's largest concert halls: Carnegie Hall - New York, Concertgebouw - Amsterdam, Berliner Philarmoniker, Théatre des Champs Élysées - Paris or Metropolitan Arts Center - Tokyo, along with prestigious orchestras conducted by famous conductors. : Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev or Christoph Eschenbach.
Alexandru Tomescu plays a Stradivarius Elder-Voicu violin, used for four decades by the master Ion Voicu and considered to be one of the most beautiful and well-preserved Stradivarius violins in the world. The instrument is of inestimable value and is part of the National Heritage of Romania.
Bandoneon player and composer Omar Massa (b. 1981) was born in Buenos Aires and has been based in Europe since 2016. Internationally acclaimed as one of the leading artists on the bandoneon and Tango Nuevo, he is a creative musician who desires to share the beauty of his instrument and the unique music of his native city. After being nominated to the most important award in the recording industry in Argentina for his CD “Tribute to Piazzolla”, the family of Astor Piazzolla invited him to play Piazzolla´s bandoneon 25 years after his death – Massa being the only musician allowed to do that. In the following years, he became a pioneer presenting a unique repertoire of baroque concertos, symphonic tango and his own compositions as soloist with orchestras like the Asturias Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra, the Biel Symphony Orchestra and the Brasov Philharmonic among many others in America and throughout Europe. He performed in several important venues in New York, Dublin, Mexico DF, Bucharest, Berlin and participated in projects with internationally renowned artists such as Eugene Kohn, Bruno Delepelaire, Tomasz Tomaszewski, Máté Szücs and Janne Saksala.
