Omar Massa (bandoneon)
Biography, Audio/Video, Discography, Photos, Concerto repertoire, Programmes
www.omarmassa.com
Biography
“He played a toccata and fugue by J.S .Bach on the bandoneon… If the Thomaskantor from Leipzig had been able to listen to Massa’s playing, both profound and blessed with a dance-like lightness, he would without any doubt have composed entire solo suites for his instrument. Massa is one of the great authorities on his instrument, equally at home in baroque music as in Argentine tango”
Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
Omar Massa is a bandoneon player, composer and arranger from Buenos Aires – Argentina, based in Europe since 2016.
Regarded by the critics as an expert on Astor Piazzolla’s music – whose work he has interpreted from the age of six – Omar has often been the connecting bridge between classical music and Argentine tango music.
He has performed and participated in projects with internationally renowned artists such as Placido Domingo, Eugene Kohn (Conductor of Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti), Bruno Delepelaire (1st Cello soloist, Berlin Philharmonic), Tomasz Tomaszewski (Concertmaster, Deutsche Oper Berlin), Máté Szücs (1st Viola soloist, Berlin Philharmonic), Markus Däunert (Concertmaster & co-founder of Claudio Abbado’s Mahler Chamber Orchestra), and Janne Saksala (1st Double Bass soloist, Berlin Philharmonic).
Omar has been a pioneer in taking his instrument to concert halls to play works from the academic repertoire, especially those from the European and Latin American Baroque.
As a soloist he has performed with symphony orchestras and chamber groups like the Asturias Symphony Orchestra, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra, the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Stat Sibiu, the Brasov Philharmonic, the Kamerata Kronstadt among others.
Omar has played in several important venues such as the Lincoln Center (New York), the National Concert Hall (Dublin), the Colon Theatre (Buenos Aires), the Palace of Fine Arts (Mexico DF) and the George Enescu Festival (Bucharest).
As a composer he has written several works, among them his ‘Suite Patagonia’ and ‘Concertango’ were premiered in the Chamber Music Season of the Palace of Fine Arts of Mexico in 2013.
Omar was nominated for the Gardel Music Awards 2014 (most important award in the recording industry in Argentina) for his CD ‘Tribute to Piazzolla’ and 25 years after Astor Piazzolla´s death (2015) his family invited him to play Piazzolla´s bandoneon.
In 2019, Omar founded the ardeTrio together with violinist Markus Däunert (Concertmaster & co-founder of Claudio Abbado’s Mahler Chamber Orchestra) and violist Danusha Waskiewicz (Berlin Philharmonic). The trio released the CD “Tango Concertante” (Ars Produktion) in 2021 which brought Omar Massa several Opus Klassik nominations in Germany, including “Composer of the Year” and “Instrumentalist of the Year”. In January 2021 Omar recorded with the Berlin Symphony orchestra and the conductor Mark Laycock his CD “Nuevo Tango Concertos by Piazzolla and Massa” (Solo Musica label, Germany). With Omar as soloist, this album contains the Piazzolla Concerto as well as the Massa Concerto and two of his new compositions for Bandoneon and orchestra.
Being the Bandoneon, Violin and Piano the key instruments for the interpretation of Tango Nuevo, in 2021 Massa invited Markus Däunert and Pianist Kim Barbier to perform as the Massa Trio, unifying his own musical tradition from Buenos Aires with their high artistic level. The result is a powerful and deeply emotional sound, which raises Tango Nuevo to higher spheres
In addition to his artistic endeavours, Omar has conducted courses and masterclasses on bandoneon and on Astor Piazzolla’s music in universities around the world. His tours have been declared of ‘Cultural and Artistic importance to the country of Argentina’ by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Regarded by the critics as an expert on Astor Piazzolla’s music – whose work he has interpreted from the age of six – Omar has often been the connecting bridge between classical music and Argentine tango music.
He has performed and participated in projects with internationally renowned artists such as Placido Domingo, Eugene Kohn (Conductor of Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti), Bruno Delepelaire (1st Cello soloist, Berlin Philharmonic), Tomasz Tomaszewski (Concertmaster, Deutsche Oper Berlin), Máté Szücs (1st Viola soloist, Berlin Philharmonic), Markus Däunert (Concertmaster & co-founder of Claudio Abbado’s Mahler Chamber Orchestra), and Janne Saksala (1st Double Bass soloist, Berlin Philharmonic).
Omar has been a pioneer in taking his instrument to concert halls to play works from the academic repertoire, especially those from the European and Latin American Baroque.
As a soloist he has performed with symphony orchestras and chamber groups like the Asturias Symphony Orchestra, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra, the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Stat Sibiu, the Brasov Philharmonic, the Kamerata Kronstadt among others.
Omar has played in several important venues such as the Lincoln Center (New York), the National Concert Hall (Dublin), the Colon Theatre (Buenos Aires), the Palace of Fine Arts (Mexico DF) and the George Enescu Festival (Bucharest).
As a composer he has written several works, among them his ‘Suite Patagonia’ and ‘Concertango’ were premiered in the Chamber Music Season of the Palace of Fine Arts of Mexico in 2013.
Omar was nominated for the Gardel Music Awards 2014 (most important award in the recording industry in Argentina) for his CD ‘Tribute to Piazzolla’ and 25 years after Astor Piazzolla´s death (2015) his family invited him to play Piazzolla´s bandoneon.
In 2019, Omar founded the ardeTrio together with violinist Markus Däunert (Concertmaster & co-founder of Claudio Abbado’s Mahler Chamber Orchestra) and violist Danusha Waskiewicz (Berlin Philharmonic). The trio released the CD “Tango Concertante” (Ars Produktion) in 2021 which brought Omar Massa several Opus Klassik nominations in Germany, including “Composer of the Year” and “Instrumentalist of the Year”. In January 2021 Omar recorded with the Berlin Symphony orchestra and the conductor Mark Laycock his CD “Nuevo Tango Concertos by Piazzolla and Massa” (Solo Musica label, Germany). With Omar as soloist, this album contains the Piazzolla Concerto as well as the Massa Concerto and two of his new compositions for Bandoneon and orchestra.
Being the Bandoneon, Violin and Piano the key instruments for the interpretation of Tango Nuevo, in 2021 Massa invited Markus Däunert and Pianist Kim Barbier to perform as the Massa Trio, unifying his own musical tradition from Buenos Aires with their high artistic level. The result is a powerful and deeply emotional sound, which raises Tango Nuevo to higher spheres
In addition to his artistic endeavours, Omar has conducted courses and masterclasses on bandoneon and on Astor Piazzolla’s music in universities around the world. His tours have been declared of ‘Cultural and Artistic importance to the country of Argentina’ by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Audio/Video
Photos
Photographer: Michael Reinicke
Discography
Concerto repertoire
Tango for bandoneon and chamber/string orchestra
Astor Piazzolla
– Bandoneon Concerto “Aconcagua” for Bandoneon, Strings Orchestra and Percussion (20 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouTH4h6RCxg&t=5s
– “3 Tangos” for Soloist Bandoneon, Strings Orchestra and Percussion (20 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alUkH-iPc48
– “Suite Punta del Este” (18 minutes) for Soloist Bandoneon and Chamber Orchestra (strings orchestra and woodwinds)
– “Double Concerto” for Bandoneon and Guitar with String Orchestra (16 minutes)
– “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” (25 minutes) arranged for Bandoneon and String Orchestra.
– “Five Tango Sensations” (28 minutes) Bandoneon and String Orchestra, Original for Bandoneon and String Quartet but commonly played with complete string section.
– Instrumental pieces selection arranged for Bandoneon soloist and String Orchestra: “Adios Nonino”, “Oblivion”, “La muerte del Angel” , “Libertango”, “Milonga del Angel”, “Fuga y Misterio”, etc.
Kurt Weill
– Youkali
– Wie Lange noch?
– Complainte de la Seine
– Wie Lange noch?
– Complainte de la Seine
(Spieldauer insgesamt 13 min.)
Omar Massa
Tango Concerto for Bandoneon, Piano and String Orchestra (15 minutes), comissioned by the Embassy of Argentina in Germany for the Gala concert in Berlin Philarmonic on May 2019. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the partner city arrangement between Berlin and Buenos Aires under the auspices of the Embassy of Argentina together with the Berlin Senator for culture and Europe.
Baroque with bandoneon and chamber/string orchestra
G. F. Haendel
- Organ Concerto (Bandoneon version by Omar Massa) HWV 309 – Op. 7 No. 4 in D minor (16 minutes) Bandoneon and Chamber Orchestra
A. Vivaldi
- Concerto for Harpsichord (Bandoneon version by Omar Massa) RV 780, in A major (10 minutes) Bandoneon and String Orchestra
A. Marcello
Oboe Concerto (Bandoneon version by Omar Massa) SF 935 – Op.1 , in D minor(10 minutes) Bandoneon and String Orchestra
J. S. Bach
- Harpsichord Concerto (Bandoneon version by Omar Massa) BWV 1055 – in A Major (15 minutes) Bandoneon and String Orchestra
Programmes Recitals/Chamber Music
From Baroque to Nuevo Tango
1) bandoneon + Boulanger Trio (violin, cello, piano)
Astor Piazzolla
Oblivion
Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 553 (bandoneon)
Alberto Ginastera
Danza de la Moza Donosa
Nadia Boulanger
Trois pieces for violoncello and piano
Sergei Rachmaninow
Trio Élégiaque no. 1 in g minor
Astor Piazzolla
Adiós Nonino and Guga y misterio
Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas
_______________
2) Bandoneon + Violin
SOLO BANDONEON
Joseph de Torres y Vergara
“Obra de lleno de séptimo tono” , Latein Amerikanischer Barock (5 min 10s)
or
G. Frescobaldi
Toccata N7 for Organ from “Secondo Libro di Toccate e Canzone” (1637) (4 min)?
SOLO VIOLIN
J.S. Bach
excerpts from Partita by J.S. Bach (5 min)
-VIOLINE & BANDONEON
A. Corelli
violin sonata in C major no. 3, Op. 5 (12 min)
H. Eccles
violin sonata in g minor (9 min)
A. Vivaldi
violin sonata in d minor, RV 12 (12min)
A. Piazzolla
“Ave Maria” (6 min)
Intermission
SOLO BANDONEON
A. Piazzolla
“Lo que vendra” (5 min)
SOLO VIOLIN
A. Piazzolla
Tango Etude 3 or 4 (4 min)
VIOLIN & BANDONEON
A. Piazzolla
“Bruno & Sarah” (3 min)
“Calambre” (2 min)
“History of Tango”: Bordel 1900, Cafe 1930, Nightclub 1960, Concert d’aujourd’hui (20 min)
“Oblivion” (5 min)
O. Massa, “Avincis Tango” (click, 4 min 37s)
Encore:
Astor Piazzolla, “Libertango” (2min 30sec)
___________________
3) Bandoneon + Piano
J.S. Bach
Concerto in A Major BWV 1055 (15 min)
Marcello
Concerto in d minor SF 935 – Op.1 (10 min)
J.S. Bach
sonata in c minor BWV 1017 (16 min)
Intermission
Astor Piazzolla
“Pedro y Pedro“ ffor Bandoneon solo* (5 min)
Tango prelude no 1 “Lejia’s Game” für piano solo (4m 15s)
“Adios Nonino” for bandoneon and piano (8 min)
“Oblivion” for bandoneon and piano (5 min)
“Fugata” for bandoneon and piano (3 min)
“Night Club 1960” for bandoneon and piano (6 min)
“Milonga del Angel” for bandoneon and piano (6 min)
Omar Massa
Nuevo Tango for bandoneon and piano (3 min)
___________________
4) Bandoneon, Violine, Viola,
Solo Bandoneon
J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in d minor, BWV 554 (4 min)
Joseph de Torres y Vergara
“Obra de lleno de séptimo tono”. Latin American Baroque from National Cathedral of Mexico (5 min)
Violin, Viola and Bandoneon
A. Corelli
Violin Sonata no. 3 Op. 5 (12 min)
J.S. Bach
Viola Sonata no. 3, BWV 1029 (14 min)
A. Piazzolla
“Ave Maria” (6 min)
Pause
Solo Bandoneon
A. Piazzolla
“Pedro y Pedro” (3m 30s)
Violin & Bandoneon
A. Piazzolla
“Bruno & Sarah” and “Calambre” (5 min)
Violin, Viola and Bandoneon
A. Piazzolla
Bordel 1900 (4 min)
,, Cafe 1930″ (6 min)
,,Nightclub 1960″ (5 min)
“Oblivion” (5 min)
“Adios Nonino” (6 min)
O. Massa
“Avincis Tango” (4m 30s)
Encore: Astor Piazzolla “Libertango” (2min 30sec)
___________________
5) Bandoneon, Violin, Viola, Cello
Frescobaldi
Toccata no. 7 for Organ from “Secondo Libro di Toccate e Canzone”
J.S. Bach
Prelude and fugue no. 1 from “8 small Preludes and fugues for organ”, BWV 553-560
Vivaldi
Cello sonata in a minor RV 43
Corelli
Violin Sonata no. 3, Op. 5
Astor Piazzolla
Ave Maria
Intermission
Astor Piazzolla
Lo que vendrá,
Bruno & Sarah,
Calambre,
Night Club 1960,
Oblivion,
Milonga Loca,
Café 1930,
Adiós Nonino
___________________
6) Bandoneon, Guitar (with Jerzy Chwastyk)
FIRST PART:
Bandoneon and Guitar:
A.Piazzolla, Adios Nonino (6:30)
A. Piazzolla, Ave Maria (5:20)
Guitar Solo:
Isaac Albéniz – Sevilla (5:30)
Bandoneon and Guitar:
Manuel de Falla, Suite Populaire Espagnole (14 min)
-Bandoneon Solo:
O.Massa, Negro liso-Astor’s Voice (3:30)
Bandoneon and Guitar:
A. Piazzolla, Libertango (3:45 min)
(39 minutes)
SECOND PART
Bandoneon and Guitar:
A. Marcello, Concerto in Dm (10 min)
Guitar Solo:
I. Albeniz, Capricho Catalan (4 min)
Bandoneon and Guitar:
O.Massa, Tango Lullaby (4 min)
A. Piazzolla, “History of Tango”:
Bordel 1900,
Cafe 1930,
Nightclub 1960,
Concert d’aujourd’hui (22 min)
(40 minutes)
All Arrangements by Omar Massa