| Los Cantos (The Chants) is based on Latin American ethnic melodies and ryhthms. The first movement, Ruku Kuskungu, sung in Quichua (the language of the Incas), tells the story of the Incan king being captured by the by the Spanish conquistadores. The second movement, Chen Nayob, sung in Mayan with lyrics by the Mexican-Mayan poet Romualdo Mendez Huchim, constitutes an "Ode to Joy" for the Mayan people. The movement's music derives from a Mayan marimba pattern. The third movement, O-Kay-Ile, sung in the Creole language of Haiti, is based on the folkloric "rara" music. The piece was requested to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Children's Choir and premiered at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Jonita Lattimore, soprano; the Chicago Children's Choir; the Lyric Opera Orchestra with Josephine Lee conducting. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
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Canyengue is a word of African origin. In Lunfardo -the Tango slang- it means something with a lot of rhythm. Tango belongs to the two sister cities of the Rio de la Plata: Buenos Aires and Montevideo. When I was ten years old and heard Astor Piazzolla playing live on TV, I knew immediately that I would write this kind of music. Since then I have composed and performed many other kinds of music; however, chamber and symphonic Tango pieces have been a permanent trait in my production. In this piece I recall the flavor of the Afro-Uruguayan rhythms of Tango, Milonga, Milongón and Candombe that form the sonorous landscape of my home town. The symphonic version of Canyengue was requested by the Grant Park Festival and premiered at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Chicago's Millennium Park by the Festival's Orchestra under Maestro Carlos Kalmar. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
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Heights of Machu Picchu seeks to translate into music Pablo Neruda’s vision as seen in one of the most important sections of his monumental Canto General: Alturas de Macchu Picchu (‘In the Heights of Machu Picchu’). Heights of Machu Picchu does not intend to reproduce the native music from the Andes in a literal fashion. Instead, melodies and rhythms are used in a way of an ‘imaginary folk’. The slow first movement is titled Del aire al aire (‘From air to air’), after one of Neruda’s poems and is unusual in its 5/4 meter. I imagined the rhythmic second movement as a multitudinary celebration of the Quichua people, descendants of the ancient Incas, coming from the mountains and the valleys to gather at this majestic place. Heights of Machu Picchu was requested by Concertante di Chicago and made possible through a grant from the Sarah Lee Foundation. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
| Requested by the Orquesta Filarmonica de Montevideo, Tangata for Orchestra is a three movement piece comprised of Tango, Milonga and Canyengue, with strong Afro-Uruguayan rhythmic influences: milongon and the candombe. The piece is currently not available for performance. |
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As part of its monumental tribut to Astor Piazzolla, the Grant Park Festival requested this bandoneon concerto. The piece uses the same instrumentation as Piazzolla's bandoneon concerto (harp, piano, percussion and string orchestra); however, the language is not restricted to Piazzolla's "new Tango" and reflects different styles and periods of the genre. Bandoneon soloist Juan Jose Mosalini premiered the piece with the Grant Park Orchestra. The concerto has also been performed by Raul Jaurena and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Chamber Ensemble. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
| Unlike Mexico, Peru or Brazil, Uruguay has no Baroque composers. Thus, I set out to compose the first Uruguayan Baroque concerto. Aware of the anachronism, I decided that each movement would go a little further in time and musical language, ending in a Tangoesque "fugatto." The marvelous thing about the past is that is so present... Concerto for Oboe and Strings was premiered at the Teatro Solis of Montevideo, Uruguay, with soloist Elvira Casanova and Leo Brouwer conducting. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
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When Ravinia’s Welz Kaufman asked if I could make the connection between Abraham Lincoln and Latin America I knew we were onto something. A few years ago, I wrote an article for La Raza newspaper about Lincoln's valiant 1848 House floor speech condemning President Polk’s invasion of México. Benito Juárez, a Méxican Congressman, thanked Lincoln with an effusive letter. Years later the two men were both President. Juárez was fighting the French invaders and Lincoln was confronting the Secession. Thus, Lincoln and Juárez once again became natural allies; not just out of necessity but also from a shared trust in democracy and humanity. Following Lincoln's assassination, Juárez wrote a sorrowful, elegant message to the people of the United States. The second movement of Lincolniana tells this story in Spanish through a “corrido” or ballad sung in Mariachi style by Sones de Mexico’s Juan Rivera. The first and third movements are based on Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman's beautiful and moving poetry that acclaims and mourns Lincoln . Three bass grooves constuct the opening movement; all in 11/4. After the “corrido”, a funeral call opens the final movement progressively rising from the mourning of Lincoln’s death to the celebration of his legacy. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
| This instrumental version of Los Cantos (orchestral version described at the top of this page) was composed for the Civic Orchestra of Chicago's Chamber series and premiered at the Chicago Symphony Center with Cliff Colnot conducting. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
Canyengue is a word of African origin. In Lunfardo -the Tango slang- it means something with a lot of rhythm. Tango belongs to the two sister cities of the Rio de la Plata: Buenos Aires and Montevideo. When I was ten years old and heard Astor Piazzolla playing live on TV, I knew immediately that I would write this kind of music. Since then I have composed and performed many other kinds of music; however, chamber and symphonic Tango pieces have been a permanent trait in my production. In this piece I recall the flavor of the Afro-Uruguayan rhythms of Tango, Milonga, Milongón and Candombe that form the sonorous landscape of my home town. The chamber version of Canyengue was composed for the Fresh Ink concert series, organized by the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Composers Forum and premiered by the MAVerick Ensemble. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com
| It is s not rare for musicians from the Rio de la Plata to listen to classical composers and notice that it sounds similar to Tango. This happens, of course, because Tango is romantic music with a Tango feeling. While writing Tango for Beethoven, I had one of the best times of my life and I hope this shows as you listen to the piece. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
| Tango para Beethoven has been a lucky piece. Not only has it had many performances of the trio versions; but moreover, Gerardo Moreira, Uruguayan conductor, cellist and composer arranged a sextet version (string quintet and piano). Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
Darwin's Dream/fl, cl, pn (2007)
This is an evolutionist piece. As a matter of fact, the music develops from a very simple rhythmic cell, taTA-ta-TA, and a melodic “molecule” of just five notes. As Charles Darwin got inspiration among the birds of the Galápagos Islands, I found mine in the “Pasillo” music of the Colombian mountains. Oddly enough, Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born the same year and the same day: February 12, 1809. In composing Lincolniana (chamber piece described above) to celebrate Lincoln’s bicentennial, I could not resist the temptation of paying tribute to Darwin as well. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com
Otro Tiempo, Otro Espacio/String Quartet (1983)
This is the last piece of my, let's say, avant-garde period that ended as soon as I returned to Uruguay from music studies in Germany. It is a very formalistic piece, composed on grid paper with graphic writing and later transcribed to "regular" staves and notes. Also involved was translucent silk paper and symmetrical pattern displacement. This piece is currently not available for performance.
Solo a Dos Voces/Clarinet and Bassoon (1979)
In the late 1970’s I was interested in the aesthetics of “poor music” (then in vogue in Latin America) and also in writing against the traditional uses of instrumental language. Despite being a duo for clarinet and bassoon, Solo a Dos Voces is a very percussive piece that exhibits staccati and repeated notes. This piece is currently not available for performance.
Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon (1978) Gondwana (2005)
Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon’s first two movements are based on polytonal counterpoint. However, the third movement presents many of the rhythmical and polymodal features that constitute part of my current language. This piece is currently not available for performance.
Jazz Ensemble
Written for Paquito D’Rivera and his Orquesta Panamericana, Gondwana’s music is based on the Brazilian “baiao” rhythm. The orchestration is for an unusual combination of jazz combo plus marimba, steel pan and bandoneon. Gondwana premiered at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com
The Stranger (1996)
| The Stranger, written in 6/4 meter, has a strong Latin American and jazz flavor without actually being “Latin Jazz.” I created this piece for my Uruguayan band, La Banda Oriental, an ensemble comprised of eight reed players (saxes, clarinets and flutes), piano, double bass, three percussionists and a singer/dancer. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com |
Luna Negra (1994)
Written for the Uruguayan band, Planeta Blues, this is a blues piece with Latino flavor. If you know Horace Silver then you know what I am talking about... This piece is currently not available for performance.
Solo Instrument Works
Tres Piezas para Guitarra/Solo Guitar (1983)
Tres Piezas para Guitarra marks the turning point from my “avant-gardish” period to … now. My inspiration came from guitar works by Heitor Villa-Lobos and Leo Brouwer; however, I incorporate a Uruguayan touch using Afro-Montevidean accents and rhythmical patterns. The piece premiered in Montevideo and was recorded later by Eduardo Fernandez. Score and parts are available upon request. Contact: assistant@elbiobarilari.com
Piano Piece 2000 (2000)
This request came from the Dutch virtuoso Marcel Worms for inclusion in his recordings of blues from around the world and premiered in the Netherlands, 2001. The piece frames blues through different angles (traditional to very abstract) translated to 6/4, 7/8 and 9/4 meters. Score and parts are exclusive for Marcel Worms.
Treno/Clarinet (1980)
Treno has an improvisational character and uses ONLY non-traditional ways of playing clarinet. The piece sounds more electronic than instrumental. Treno is currently not available for performance.
Ecue-yamba-o/Prepared Piano (1981)
Based in a poem by Cuban writer Nicolas Guillen, Ecue-yamba-o is written for for prepared piano with three movements of contrasting nature. The preparation includes pieces of rubber and bolts inserted between the piano strings with a chain laid across to alter the sound. This piece is currently not available for performance.
Three Piano Pieces (1978)
Written in a free atonal style, these three concise pieces are the first of my works performed in public. Marta Nardi premiered this work at the Facultad de Arquitectura Auditorium in Montevideo, Uruguay. The pieces are currently lost and not available for performance.
Barilari has composed the original music for multiple theatrical productions in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Spain and the US. He is a two-time winner of the “Florencio”, the Uruguayan equivalent to the Tony Award, in the category Best Original Music.
Productions:
Yerma, by Federico Garcia Lorca
Blood Wedding, by Federico Garcia Lorca (3 different productions)
The House of Bernarda Alba, by Federico Garcia Lorca (2 different productions)
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare
Dangerous Liaisons, adapted by Christopher Hampton (2 different productions)
Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen
The Dance of Death, by August Strindberg
Miss Julie, by August Strindberg
Life is a Dream, by Calderon de la Barca
The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams
Tartuffe, by Molière
Georges Dandin, by Molière
Lysistrata, by Aristophanes
Exit the King, by Eugene Ionesco
Delirios, on texts by Eugene Ionesco (2 different productions)
Terror and Misery of the Third Reich, by Bertoldt Brecht
El Embrujado, by Ramón del Valle-Inclan
El concierto de San Ovidio, by Antonio Buero Vallejo
La Doble Historia del Dr. Valmy, by Antonio Buero Vallejo
Album Familiar, by Jose Luis Alonso de Santos
The Empty Chalices, by Judy Veramendi (3 different productions)
The Hall of the Empty Ghosts, by Judy Veramendi
Los Hermanos Queridos, by Carlos Gorostiza
El Desatino, by Griselda Gambaro
Los Cuentos del Final, by Carlos Manuel Varela
Juegos de Federico Entre las Cosas, by Milton Schinca
Alfonso y Clotilde, by Carlos Manuel Varela
El Acertijo, by Juan Graña
Una Luz Chiquita, by Juan Graña
Emboscada, by Carlos Manuel Varela
La Familia, Todo Bien?, by Franklin Rodriguez
Directors:
Carlos Aguilera
Antonio Larreta
Pilar Miró
Eduardo Schinca
Luis Cerminara
Francois Dupeyron
Richard Ferraro
Elena Zuasti
Juver Salcedo
Horacio Buscaglia
Alfredo de la Peña
Alberto Restuccia
Rosario Vargas
Marcela Muñoz
Madrid Santangelo
Imilce Viñas
Pablo Santamaría
Nelly Goitiño