The main idea of this work is to continue the work of decades of study on Latin American music and highlight its diverse range of rhythms and musical colors in a work for solo cello that covers all this diversity as representatively as possible. The work does not intend to be literal in the approach of each rhythm and is compiled in six chapters of the many existing rhythms in the region, even because it is perhaps almost impossible to catalog all of its totality, but it tries to represent this diversity represented by the solo violoncello. Each Partita has three movements and each one has been named after an ecosystem in Latin America, in order to be able to group THE RHYTHMS APPROACHED by region, these being PAMPA, CAATINGA, ANDES, AMAZON FOREST, CARIBBEAN, and CHAPARRAL. Buy the sheet music here.
6 Latin American Partitas for Solo Cello - Rafael Cesário and Arthur Barbosa
Rafael Cesário
Vídeo Release
About
Comparison with Partitas for solo violin and suites for solo cello, both by J.S. Bach is inevitable and deliberate, with the aim of valuing Latin American music by equipping itself with the virtuosity of an instrument as European as the cello, but which became “Americanized” over time. The research to develop this work as a whole was focused on rhythms and dances from all over Latin America, which represents a very rich musical tangle of a region where the music practiced often does not recognize borders (for this reason grouped in this work as biomes and not as countries), and this is what unites it in a certain way, with its similarities and individualities and with its origins as remote as the music of the original peoples of the continent, European music, African music, and others coming from many parts of the world who decided to get together and build a musical kaleidoscope of the richest in the world. Added to this is the fact that the cello is an “erudite” instrument that is very present and loved throughout the Latin American continent.
I have researched a huge number of rhythms and popular manifestations over the last twenty years, which has given me the basis for developing many works related to the recovery and appreciation of the music of our continent. Extol some rhythms that are almost extinct, value the lesser known ones while presenting the ones that are better known to the public, etc. have been some of the purposes behind the creation of this album. In addition, I had to arouse interest in the performer, which led me to cover various technical requirements of the cello school (traditional technique, expanded technique, effects, etc.). A singular task of assembling a set of works that complement each other in terms of themes and cellist point of view, thus placing the instrument on an even higher level when the theme is Latin American Music.
Arthur Barbosa, November 2022
About the Recording
The recording was done in Studio A at Jacarandá. We chose to use a set of microphones during the recording. We set up a Decca Tree with two MKH 800 TWINS and a DPA 4041SP in the center, along with two MKH 800 TWINS as Outriggers (pre Millennia). During the mixing, the Decca Tree ended up not being used, but the two Outriggers were used slightly to enhance spatialization (uncorrelated sound from the diffuse field).
The main microphones are a Straus Paket consisting of Schoeps MK4 and DPA 4006, on a GML stand. In the mix, we primarily hear a blend between these two sets of microphones. In some songs, there’s a bit more emphasis on the Schoeps or DPA.
Three close spots were used, a Brüel & Kjær 4006, 4011, and Schoeps MK2. During the mixing, they were not used except for some Pizzicato passages where the 4006 was used as support.
For the foot percussion, we used an MKH 800 P48 with a Bidirectional polar pattern, in order to utilize the nulls of the polar pattern to focus on the tap dancing while rejecting the direct sound from the cello. This microphone was only used during the percussion.
The album received no equalization except for a Low-cut that removed low frequencies below the cello’s emission.
Tracklist and Infromation
Recording: Julian J. Ludwig, Rafael Thèmes
Direction / Editing: Marcos Scheffel
Mix Engineer: Julian J. Ludwig
Mastering Engineer: Julian J. Ludwig
Local: Jacarandá
Producer: Julian J. Ludwig
Publishing: Jacarandá
Release: 2024
Genre: Classical
Recording format: 96Khz, 24 bit
Delivery: Stereo 96/24
SKU: JM 0001
Additional Information
Rafael Cesário
A Master’s graduate from USP, he obtained the “Perfectionnement” diploma with unanimous approval and congratulations from the Jury at the Conservatoire départemental du Val de Bièvre in Paris, France, under the guidance of the renowned French cellist Romain Garioud. In Brazil, he received lessons from Eduardo Bello, André Micheletti, and Fabio Presgrave. Awarded in various competitions, he also received lessons from Antonio Meneses, Alisa Weiterstein, Peter Szabo, Dennis Parker, Pieter Wispelwey, Sol Gabetta, among others.
As a soloist, he performed with important orchestras such as the Orquestra Sinfônica do Paraná OSP, Orquestra do Theatro São Pedro – SP ORTHESP, Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de São Paulo OSM, Orquestra Sinfônica da USP OSUSP, Orquestra Sinfônica Heliópolis, among others, conducted by prominent conductors like Henrik Schaefer, Roberto Tibiriçá, Roberto Minczuk, among others.
At the Trancoso Festival (2017), he performed as a soloist and chamber musician alongside renowned musicians such as the violinist Lorenz Nasturica (Concertmaster of the Munich Philharmonic), flutist Mathieu Dufour, and oboist Andreas Wittmann, both members of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Currently, he is a member of the Quarteto de Cordas da Cidade de SP. In parallel, he is developing a career of recitals with piano and other chamber formations with the principal musicians of the musical scene, as well as performing as a soloist with orchestras. In the past two years, he has released 3 albums on digital platforms: “UM OUTRO ADEUS” and “MEU BRASIL” with André Mehmari and “BEETHOVEN VARIATIONS” with Marcos Aragoni. In 2024, he will release an album with works by Almeida Prado alongside violinist Emmanule Baldini under the Naxos label.
In 2022/2023, he served as the first guest cellist with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo OSESP, including a tour in the USA (October 2022), where he performed at Carnegie Hall in New York.
About the Project
DIVERSITY OF LATIN MUSIC IS THE THEME OF A CELLO RECITAL
In 2022, it had its world premiere at the Jornadas Musicales de BIOBIO Festival in Chile, organized by the Artistas del Acero foundation, with an estimated audience of 500 people. In Brazil, in the city of Campinas in October 2023, at the Carlos Gomes Conservatory.
The recital presents the new work of Brazilian composer, conductor, and violinist Arthur Barbosa. The composition, “6 Latin American Partitas for Solo Cello,” is dedicated to Latin solo music, its rhythms, and its folklore.
These partitas are the result of Arthur Barbosa’s 20 years of research into music in Latin America, transforming this popular music into a language more suited for concert music. It also pays homage to Bach himself, who wrote six suites for cello and six partitas for solo violin as well. The performer, cellist Rafael Cesário, is a member of the Quarteto de Cordas da Cidade de São Paulo and an international soloist.
It’s worth noting that Arthur will also be present as a commentator at the event and will detail his creative process.
About the Composer Arthur Barbosa
A violinist by training, composer, and conductor, Arthur Barbosa has been involved in music since the age of ten and has been a violinist with OSPA since 1998. He also holds the position of conductor of OSPA Jovem since 2014. Born in Fortaleza, Brazil, he has lived in Argentina and Chile, as well as João Pessoa and Campinas. He has extensive experience in researching Latin American music and its various forms since 1999, and his experience of living in Argentina and Chile for six years, as well as traveling throughout Latin America, has made him a dedicated researcher of the continent’s culture, exploring its musical culture and all its manifestations.
His works have been performed in more than 20 countries, including eight world premieres performed outside of Brazil, and he has been a resident composer at various international festivals since 2003. In 2015 and 2016, he served on the music panel of the National Committee for Cultural Incentive (CNIC) in Brazil. He has conducted orchestras in countries such as Spain, France, Chile, Argentina, the United States, Germany, as well as in Brazil. Since 2022, he has been the principal conductor of the National Youth Orchestra Meeting in Concepción, Chile. Among his recognitions and awards, he has won the Açorianos Prize three times (2005, 2010, 2022), and in 2023, he was the honored composer at the 25th Cello Encounter of Rio Grande do Sul.
