Nothing extraordinary about a concert but hearing an orchestra consisting only of performers born in this century (except, of course, for veteran conductor Néstor Tedesco), performing musical works spanning three centuries in the magnificent setting of the Teatro Colón surely rates as a unique experience – vouchsafed to the guests at Monday’s concert to mark 10 years of the Orquesta Aeropuertos Argentinas.
A programme lasting less than 50 minutes covered an amazing variety of music ranging from Vivaldi to Taylor Swift in its first international half while its second Argentine half was dominated by Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla. Vivaldi (with “Spring,” the most popular of the “Four Seasons”) was joined by Mendelssohn and Chopin (where 12-year-old pianist Ulíses Belen showed precocious talent in mastering the impromptu freestyle) among the classical composers while Taylor Swift was followed by the nostalgic melancholy of the music Ennio Morricone wrote for the film Cinema Paradiso.
Gardel was remembered with his bolero “El día que me quieres” (when 11-year-old solo violinist Marcos Carreras stole the show) and his tango “Volver” with “La Cumparsita” (Matos Rodríguez) providing the prelude to the two Piazzolla pieces, “Primavera Porteña” and his “Adiós Nonino” farewell to his father. Although three bandoneons were brought in at this stage, Orquesta Aeropuertos Argentina is not a tango orchestra but much more versatile and the difference shows when they take on tango – not that different means worse by any means. The audience certainly did not think so because their enthusiastic applause prompted two encores – the milonga “La Yumba” and Piazzolla’s “Libertango.”
The music was also an audio-visual experience thanks to the stage settings – son et lumière. This reviewer remembers the spring flowers behind Vivaldi, the film projector accompanying Morricone, the night lights and the ride around the Obelisk for the two Gardel pieces, the Caminito colours of the Boca neighbourhood while La Cumparsita was being played and the jacaranda for “Primavera Porteña.”
Founded on the initiative of Eduardo Eurnekian and supported by scholarships from his Fundación Corporación América, the Orquesta Aeropuertos Argentina consists of 45 musicians aged between 18 and 25 (with Marcos Carreras and Ulíses Belen invited last Monday night much younger). Over 250 youngsters have passed through the orchestra in the last 10 years and most of them have managed to continue a career in music thereafter.
The Orquesta Aeropuertos Argentinas has been extremely active in these 10 years, including during the pandemic (their work online only gave them a much bigger audience). Most of their many concerts have been based on classical music but their repertoire also includes tango, Christmas carols, at least five Taylor Swift concerts and one devoted to “Star Wars Soundtracks.” True to their name, they do not always perform in concert halls but quite frequently in airports – in 2018 they saw off the national football squad to the World Cup in Russia.
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