PRISMA DE AMORES Latin Suite for Orchestra & Orchestral Program Description

Fall 2009 marks Sol y Canto’s 15th anniversary and founders Brian and Rosi Amador’s 25th year as Latin music ambassadors. Latin music ensemble Sol y Canto and their

2001 Boston Celebrity Series-commissioned Latin suite, “Prisma de amores” has been

presented with orchestras including the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Modern Orchestra, to name a few. Mr. Amador was the first Latino composer to

be commissioned by the Boston Celebrity Series.

SOL Y CANTO BIOGRAPHY

Sol y Canto is an award-winning national touring ensemble with a long track record of

presenting original as well as traditional and popular music in Latin American and

Caribbean musical genres. They have brought audiences to their feet from the Kennedy Center and White House to the Vancouver Folk Festival, Boston’s Symphony Hall and

the Museo de Arte in San Juan, Puerto Rico, amongst others. Recent highlights for Sol

y Canto include performances at the Smithsonian Center in Washington, D.C., the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia,.They tour performing arts centers, concert series, and

festivals, and offer concerts, master classes, and a variety of educational programs for

adult and family audiences.

PRISMA DE AMORES

“…The [Latin suite] performances were infectious, and the pieces displayed Amador’s generous melodic gift, his rhythmic spark, and a sensitive attunement to the shifting

moods of the text…” –Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe

“I have heard nothing but raves from everyone, especially our new works funder. He was

especially grateful to see such a diverse audience. I received a call this morning from

one of my board members who said it was the type of concert that made him proud to be

associated with the Series.” –Martha H. Jones, President and Executive Director, Bank of America Celebrity Series

With support from a Celebrity Series Commission and a highly prized Massachusetts Cultural Council artist grant for “exceptional musical composition”, composer/guitarist

Brian Amador wrote the Latin suite specifically for a symphonic collaboration. Orchestral

colors, textures and effects are woven into traditional styles such as son, bolero, danzón, cha cha cha, bomba and tango in a surprising and powerful meditation on the many

facets of love. The bolero and tango are perhaps the most emotional genres. The bolero,

originally from Cuba, is a timeless ballad style popular throughout Latin America.

Comparable to the blues in emotional depth, the bolero’s poetic lyrics and lush chords have recently been reintroduced to audiences in this country by such notable ensembles

as Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club and Vieja Trova Santiaguera. The Argentine tango,

199 Pemberton St. • Cambridge, MA 02140 • 617.492.1515 phone • 617.649.0299 fax

with its passionate lyrics and musical intensity, has also been enjoying renewed

popularity, thanks in large part to the prolific creativity of the late, great Astor Piazzola. The Afro-Puerto Rican bomba and the Cuban son are two of the most popular

Caribbean dance rhythms in the latin music world.

WHAT DOES THE CONCERT LOOK LIKE? Sol y Canto brings their sextet to perform the suite with your orchestra in a shared

program. Both the orchestra and Sol y Canto can perform on their own prior to the

shared “Prisma de Amores” suite. The directors of Sol y Canto are Rosi & Brian Amador. New Mexico native Brian, our musical director/composer, provides orchestrations,

Spanish guitar, and vocals. Rosi, our Puerto Rican/Argentine lead vocalist, also provides

bongos and small percussion. Additional Sol y Canto members performing in th suite include virtuoso musicians from Perú, Uruguay, Panamá and the U.S. on upright bass,

piano, congas, cajón, saxophone and flute and small percussion. In addition to Prisma de amores, Brian Amador has also orchestrated a number of beloved Latin classic love

songs that can be added to the program. The pieces come from Puerto Rico, Cuba and Argentina. Some of these include the following:

Sabor a mí (bolero) Alvaro Carrillo, Cuba Así es mi tierra Gloria González, Puerto Rico

Quiéreme mucho (bolero) Gonzalo Roig, Cuba

Se alquila (tango) Hipóito Torres, Argentina

In the 2009/2010 season Mr. Amador plans to debut a new suite of Latin songs from a

brand new work called “Sabor y Memoria: A Musical Feast in Seven Courses,”

celebrating Latin food and addressing themes of immigration and global agricultural sustainability. Although this new work is not scheduled to debut until spring 2010, some

compositions may be ready as early as fall of 2009, to be determined. Mr. Amador has

received a MacDowell Artist Colony fellowship for winter 2009 to compose the suite.

Sol y Canto is represented by Siegel Artist Management

www.siegelartist.com

REVIEWS OF ‘PRISMA DE AMORES’

Latin orchestral suite by Brian Amador

“The performances were

infectious, and the pieces

displayed Amador’s generous

melodic gift, his rhythmic

spark, and a sensitive

attunement to the shifting

moods of the texts …”

-Richard Dyer, Boston Globe

“Congratulations to both of

you and to your wonderful

band. I have heard nothing

but raves from everyone,

especially our new works

funder.

He was especially grateful to

see such a diverse audience.

I also received a call this

morning from one of my

board members who said it

was the type of concert that

made him proud to be

associated with the Series.

I also want to say one more

time how wonderful you both

were to work with. If there

were an award for most

generous artist to work with,

you two would top the list.

Thank you again, and relish

the standing ovation and the

accolades coming your way.

You deserve it.”

-Martha H. Jones

President and Executive

Director

FleetBoston Celebrity Series

“Polygot, polyrythmic

and pure dynamos, the

hyped-up ensemble

proved quickly that this

was not to be an ordinary

long-haird celebrity series

night…

If the nearly sold-out

sanders crowd has

anything to say about it,

maybe the ‘Marquee

Series’ is starting to win

an audience…

… A helluva lot of fun.”

-Keith Powers, Boston

Herald

Music News 03/01/2004

Springfield Symphony Orchestra concert takes on Latin flavor By GEORGE LENKER

SPRINGFIELD - Blending peppery beats with delicious Latin melodies, Sol y Canto and

the Springfield Symphony Orchestra concocted a tasty sonic salsa Saturday night.

Sol y Canto is a Cambridge-based Latin music group led by the husband and wife team of

Brian and Rosi Amador. The eight-piece band joined the orchestra Saturday in a rousing

display of evocative music.

Symphony conductor Kevin Rhodes and the string section of the orchestra warmed up the

audience slowly with a few sambas and bossa novas before Sol y Canto took the stage.

The first of these, "Black Orpheus," featured pizzicato string work underpinning the

mournful and mysterious melody carved out by first chair violinist Masako Yanagita. The

second and third selections, "Oblivion" and "Corcovado," continued this pace effectively,

using syncopated Latin bass lines to underscore the alternatively romantic and haunting

tunes.

Sol y Canto then appeared and performed four songs without the orchestra. The first of

these was a light, jazzy piece titled "Capullito de Aleli" which showcased compelling

solos by bassist Carlos Del Pino and flutist Jon Weeks, who also later played saxophone.

It understandably took a few minutes for the instruments' volume levels to be adjusted for

the percussion-heavy band, but the eight pieces were sorted out by the second tune,

"Papel de Plata."

This song featured vocalist Alan Del Castillo doubling on a series of ocarinas, which are

oval-shaped clay flutes. The first ocarina played was a low-toned instrument, evocative of

a whale's song. But as guitarist Brian Amador modulated keys, Del Castillo quickly and

nimbly switched to increasingly higher pitched ocarinas, much to the audience's delight.

The third selection was the bluesy "Tonada de Luna," which rode on a pulsing guitar

rhythm while Rosi Amador's vocals floated ethereally above. The third verse was sung a

capella and resembled a motet, with Brian Amador anchoring the three-part harmony

with a haunting, chant-like bass note.

This minor key piece was one of many during the night, and showed the oxymoron of the

band's name: Sol y Canto means "sun and song" but their music often leads listeners into

more shadowy corners of lost love and moonlit longing.

But Sol y Canto then switched gears with two fun songs, "Fiesta del Tren," and the

festive "Brown Rice" - the lyrics to which Brian Amador admitted were actually a rice

recipe. The orchestra then joined Sol y Canto for several pieces before intermission. The

first was a bolero, the trumpet-fueled "Sabor a Mi," which was then followed by the

urgent "Asi es Mi Tierra," which featured Sol y Canto keeping the throbbing pulse while

the strings added dramatic counterpoint accents.

After intermission Sol y Canto did two songs alone. "Obsession" was a bolero,

highlighted nicely by a Weeks' sax solo, and "Beso Discreto" ("A Discrete Kiss")

featured both a lively pace and the percussive kissing sounds mouthed by the Amadors.

The orchestra then rejoined the fray for three final pieces, the last being a five-part

sojourn through numerous Latin styles: bolero, guaracha, tango, bomba and a ballad.

These final pieces, although mostly slow or mid-tempo, allowed Rosi Amador to

showcase her clear, emotive voice. Although the faster, familiar Latin beats may have

caught the audience members' ears, it was the slower more complex tunes that captured

their hearts.

The evening wound up with a rousing encore, "Que Bonita Luna," which featured a

hearty audience clap-along led by Rhodes.

Symphony pops to get Latin rhythms 02/22/2004 Springfield, MA By CLIFTON J. NOBLE JR. Music writer "The heart and soul of 'Sol y Canto' is the blend of its rich vocal harmonies, lush Spanish guitar, churning rhythms, and beautiful ballads," said Springfield Symphony Music Director Kevin Rhodes of the Latin band bound for Springfield from Boston by way of sunny Puerto Rico. Sol y Canto joins the symphony on Saturday to heat up the waning winter with music that, in Rhodes' opinion, "makes you yearn to be on the beach in Rio." Guitarist/composer Brian Amador and his wife, singer Rosi Amador, are the driving force of the ensemble. Of Mexican heritage, born and raised in Albuquerque, N.M., Brian was a founding member of the Boston-based salsa/merengue band Flor de Caña, for which he arranged and produced two albums. He studied classical guitar and improvisation at the New England Conservatory and flamenco guitar in Madrid, Spain. Of Argentine and Puerto-Rican heritage, Rosi inherited her performer parents' love of Latin-American music. Her mother appeared as a dancer, singer, and actress with Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin in the U.S. and Europe. Her father began his career in radio in Buenos Aires and later became an actor, touring Latin America. Brian and Rosi pass along their musical gifts to identical twin daughters, Sonia and Alisa, who sing on Sol y Canto's 2003 CD "El Doble de Amigos/Twice as Many Friends." Past winners of Boston Magazine's "Best of Boston" in Latin rhythms and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Latin Act, the members of Sol y Canto have been called "sublime ambassadors of pan-Latin tradition. Rosi's gorgeous mezzo-soprano voice has been likened to clean spring water - "smooth, clear, necessary for life." Brian melds a thorough knowledge of Latin American traditional styles with contemporary harmonic sense and improvisatory flair in his virtuosic guitar journeys.

Other members of the band bring Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Uruguayan roots to the band's eclectic pedigree. Keyboardist Nando Michelin came to Boston from his native Uruguay to hone his piano skills at Berklee College of Music. Graduating in 1991 he immersed himself in the Boston area Latin music scene, composing, recording, and performing. He currently teaches at Berklee, Brookline Music School, and Tufts University. Flutist/saxophonist Bernardo Monk, a professional musician in his home city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 10 years, currently studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Singer Alan del Castillo is a practicing psychiatrist who lives in Puerto Rico, but travels to the U.S. to perform with Sol y Canto, particularly since the release of their 1999 CD "En todo momento." Del Castillo augments his vocal gifts to the band by playing the ocarina and the quena, a traditional Andean end-blown flute. Percussionist Arturo Stable learned his art at the Amadeo Roldan National Conservatory in Cuba. Like other members of the ensemble Stable came to the U.S. to study at Berklee. Bassist Carlos del Pino graduated from the Instituto Superior del Arte in Havana, Cuba. He performed in the group Opus 13, the Orquesta de la Radio y Televisi?and the Orquesta de Opera y Ballet de Cuba. He currently plays in several Boston-area music ensembles as well as Sol y Canto. Jon M. Weeks doubles on saxophones and percussion. Weeks is a Berklee graduate who has played and recorded Latin music for the last 18 years with numerous bands in the Western Massachusetts and Hartford, Conn., area including Orquesta Juventud, La Optima, Orquesta Exclusiva, Orquesta Creaci?and Quetzal. He teaches woodwinds at music schools in Western Massachusetts. The haunting "Obsesion," the Bolivian huayno "Papel de plata," Cuba's "El Vendedor," and the Argentine tango "Se alquila" are among Sol y Canto's selections, as well as the beloved bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim, served to perfection by Rosi's crystalline voice. The concert is sponsored by Verizon with media sponsor the Valley Advocate. Tickets from $12-$43 are available from the Springfield Symphony Box Office, (413) 733-2291.

PRISMA DE AMORES program notes Orchestral Suite for Sol y Canto and Orchestra By: Brian Amador “Prisma de amores”(“Prism of Loves”) is the realization of a dream I’ve had for some time of writing a Latin suite for Sol y Canto and orchestra. I’ve approached these pieces from the perspective of composing for, rather than arranging for, the orchestra: rather than creating a lush background to accompany the songs, the orchestral colors and textures are woven into the songs themselves. Stylistically, my aim was to preserve the authenticity of the different rhythms while taking advantage of the colors, textures and effects of the orchestral instruments. As the title suggests, this piece is a prism. The subject of love is viewed from different perspectives, and the music suggests many possible interpretations. While the lyrics are quite personal, the voices of the instruments reflect a multitude of often ambivalent feelings and reflections. Cuidado con los niños

Careful with the Boys Lyrics: Jorge Guitart/additional lyrics by Brian Amador Music: Brian Amador The lyrics, by Cuban-American poet Jorge Guitart, sat on my music stand for quite some time before they found their melody, in the form of a danzón, a 19th-Century Cuban dance rhythm evolved from European court dances, with a pinch of the Beatles thrown in. The refrain is in the popular Cuban son rhythm, the backbone of modern salsa.Cuidado con los niños Las niñas nacen mujeres, los hombres nacen niños; y así se quedan, comay, así se quedan. y así se quedan, comay, así se quedan. Ellas van en plan de serias, ellos juegan con candela, también con los sentimientos, los sentimientos de ellas. también con los sentimientos, los sentimientos de ellas. Por eso yo te digo, comay: no te creas ningún cuento, ni dejes por un momento que te toque ningún invento.

Ni te metas a juguete porque se te forma un brete con muchacho peligroso, malcriado y mentiroso. CORO: Cuidado con los muchachos, ¡Cuidado! Ooooh... Te atrapan con palabras de azúcar, pero después verás Que lo que quieren es una sola cosita, na’ má. Te sacan a bailar, te llevan a cenar a sitios lindos, y después te dejan en la casa con los niños. Cuando te está enamorando te pone mucha atención, pero cuando ya te tiene prefiere la televisión. Cuidado con los muchachos, ¡Cuidado! Ooooh... Por eso yo te digo, comay: no te creas ningún cuento, ni dejes por un momento que te toque ningún invento. Pero si has de enamorarte, déjame aconsejarte - que te espera una sentencia si no escuchas mi advertencia: ¡CUIDADO! Careful with the Boys Girls are born as women, men are born as boys, and that’s how they stay, sister, that’s how they stay. The girls take things seriously, the boys play with fire and also with feelings, the girls’ feelings.

That’s why I say to you, sister, don’t believe any stories, and don’t for one moment let him play you some invention. Don’t let yourself be a toy, because it will cause you trouble with a boy who’s dangerous, ill-mannered and full of lies. Chorus: Careful with the boys, careful! They trap you with words of sugar but later you’ll see that what they want is just one thing, nothing else. They take you out to dance, they take you to dinner in nice places and later on they leave you at home with the kids. When he’s wooing you he pays a lot of attention to you, but once he has you he prefers the television. Careful with the boys, careful! That’s why I say to you, sister, don’t believe any stories, and don’t for one moment let him play you some invention. But if you must fall in love, let me give you some advice - a punishment awaits you if you don’t heed my warning: CAREFUL!

¿Nadie es de nadie?

Noone Belongs to Anyone? Lyrics: Jorge Guitart/additional lyrics by Brian Amador Music: Brian Amador for Rosi A few years ago when my friend Jorge Guitart proposed that we collaborate on some boleros; I gladly accepted, and this song is one of the results. The bolero is the quintessential romantic Latin style, incorporating poetic lyrics and jazz harmonies into a slow rhythm made for dancing close. As is common in the style, the refrain is in a faster, cha cha chá rhythm. “Nadie es de nadie,” dije “pero si tú quisieras que eso que llaman mi alma te perteneciera tápame la boca con la tuya y no dejes que lo diga nunca más.” “Nadie es de nadie,” dije y cuando vi que un día otra quiso estar cerca de ti, sentí que me moría. Tápame la boca con la tuya y no dejes que lo diga nunca más. Pues si nadie es de nadie ¿por qué tanto egoísmo mío de tenerte para mí? ¿No ves que me abandona el cinismo? Tápame la boca con la tuya y no dejes que lo diga nunca más. Nadie, dije que nadie es de nadie, nadie. Nadie sabe lo que siento yo cuando escucho tu dulce voz. Me estremece tan sólo pensar en ti, resuenan tus palabras muy dentro de mí. Yo no soy celosa, o así pensé pero te quiero para siempre, eso sí lo sé. Es que me tienes trastornada con tu dulce ser y mi certidumbre ya se echó a perder. Tápame la boca, que me calle ya; lo único que quiero es besarte más.

Pues, si eso es así ¿Porqué te quiero para mí? Nadie me provoca como tú. Tápame la boca con la tuya y no dejes que lo diga nunca más. “Noone belongs to anyone,” I said, “but if you’d like for that which they call my soul to belong to you, cover my mouth with yours, and don’t let me say it any more.” “Noone belongs to anyone,” I said, and when I saw one day that another wanted to be near you, I felt as if I were dying. Cover my mouth with yours and don’t let me say it any more. Well, if nobody belongs to anybody, why this selfishness of wanting you for myself? Can’t you see my cynicism has abandoned me? Cover my mouth with yours and don’t let me say it any more. Noone, I said that noone belongs to anyone. Nobody knows what I feel when I hear your sweet voice. It shakes me just to think of you, your words resonate deep within me. I’m not jealous, or so I thought but I love you forever, this I know. You have me turned around with your sweet way of being, and my certainty has fallen away. Cover my mouth, shut me up already; all I want is to kiss you some more. Noone, I said that noone belongs to anyone. Well, if that’s true,

why do I want you all to myself? Nobody excites me like you do. Cover my mouth with yours and don’t let me say it any more. Lamento Lament Lyrics and Music: Brian Amador for Don Jaime Andrada Although he never sang professionally, my Argentine father-in-law could sing tango with the best of them. He showed me how a good tanguero can imbue the almost always tragic lyrics with power and sublety. This song features alto sax and strings as a sort of chorus to the aching solo lyrics. ¿Cómo te atreves a dejarme así? ¿Cómo se supone que yo viva sin ti? Todas las cosas que dejaste atrás se burlan de mí. Toda la vida tú me fuiste fiel, ahora me abandonas de manera tan cruel; y este vacío que dejaste atrás se adueña de mí. Tanto amor, tanta pena, tanta sombra tuya en mi piel- y un dolor que me abruma sin tu voz. ¿Cómo te atreves a dejarme así? ¿Cómo se supone que yo viva sin ti? Y esa bruja, Muerte, que te me quitó - ¿que tiene ella que no tenga yo? Toda la vida tu me fuiste fiel, ahora me abandonas de manera tan cruel; y en el silencio, oigo dos palabras: tu nombre y “jamás.” How dare you leave me like this? How am I supposed to live without you? All the things you left behind mock me. All your life you were faithful to me, now you abandon me in the cruelest way,

and this emptiness you left behind takes possession of me. So much love, so much sorrow, so much of your shadow on my skin, and a pain that overwhelms me without your voice. How dare you leave me like this? How am I supposed to live without you? And that witch, Death, who took you from me, what does she have that I don’t? All your life you were faithful to me, now you abandon me in the cruelest way; and in the silence I hear two words: your name and “never.” Como agua Like Water For my parents, with a nod to “Doña Provi” Para mis padres, con un saludo a María Anastasia Colón de Massó, “Doña Provi” A Puerto-Rican bomba rhythm in a not-too-traditional setting. A somber phrase in the guitar, piano and bass introduces the first verse, a sparsely-accompanied recognition of the inescapably tragic reality of the passage of time. The lyric transforms itself into a celebration of the moment as the orchestra jumps in, and the introductory theme is transposed and reintroduced in a new context of hope and joy. Como agua entre los dedos el tiempo se nos escurre, como el agua. El optimismo de la juventud se nos va, y el amanecer se parece al atardecer. Ante tanta melancolía me urge una respuesta de alegría: Vivir la vida, que vivirla o no, se nos va, y ver en cada amanecer una bendición. No me arrepiento del ayer, no me preocupo por mañana. A mi familia le digo “te quiero,” a mis amigos les digo “te quiero.” Hay que gozar de la vida, ahora, y de la buena comida, ahora. Hay que seguir adelante, ahora, hay que apreciar cada instante, ahora.

Like water between our fingers time trickles away, like water. The optimism of youth leaves us and morning looks like afternoon. Faced with such melancholy, I need a joyful response: To live life, for whether we live it or not, it goes, and to see in every morning a blessing. I don’t regret yesterday, I don’t worry about tomorrow. To my family I say “I love you,” to my friends I say “I love you.” We have to enjoy life, now, and good food, now. We have to move forward, now, we have to appreciate each instant, now. Hasta la luna To the Moon Lyrics and Music: Brian Amador for Sonia and Alisa This is a Canción de cuna, or lullaby, based on something Rosi and I had been telling our girls for years as we tucked them into bed. Hasta la luna, el cielo, los planetas, y las estrellas, y mucho más allá - así te quiero, hoy día y para siempre, mira la luna, y lo sabrás. Si recorrieras el mundo en tus andares y te encontraras perdida por allá, un solo cielo te cubre dondequiera y así mi amor te cubrirá. Por el ancho espacio sé que has de volar. Pero no te olvides que hay que respirar.

Hasta la luna, el cielo, los planetas, y las estrellas, y mucho más allá - así te quiero, aunque no esté contigo. Mira la luna, y lo sabrás. Mira la luna, y lo verás. To the moon, the sky, the planets and the stars, and way beyond, that’s how I love you, today and forever: look at the moon and you’ll know. If you were to travel the world in all your wanderings, and you should find yourself lost out there, one sky covers us all, and that’s how my love will cover you. Through outer space I know you’ll have to fly. But don’t forget that you have to breathe. To the moon, the sky, the planets and the stars, and way beyond: that’s how I love you, even when I’m not with you. Look at the moon and you’ll know. Look at the moon and you’ll see.