How the beautiful Zamba for clarinet by Viviana Danon (Argentina) was born:
In the middle of 2021 I received an invitation from my colleague Marco Antonio Mazzini to participate offering a concert and a talk at the 5th Latin American Congress of Clarinetists, a wonderful event organized by Clariperu Latin America, and whose motto was to be "From Latin America to the World". In this edition, the congress was going to be held completely online (in August 2022), and therefore all its concerts and other activities would be carried out in streaming video format. After accepting the invitation, I began to think about what repertoire I could present at my concert, and it occurred to me to contact Viviana Danon, a gifted pianist and composer, to propose that she compose one or more works especially to premiere at the Clarinetists Congress. She loved the idea, we talked a lot about the kind of music it could be, and she started composing. A short time later she sent me the first draft of his Zamba for clarinet, and also of another piece entitled Sunset at Villa Elisa (Atardecer en Villa Elisa), which I am going to talk about in another post on this blog, both for clarinet and piano. We had several subsequent meetings in which I made several suggestions to give the Zamba a final shape, which Viviana willingly accepted. Let's see what the composer says about the piece:
"The Zamba for clarinet emerged as a melody with folkloric roots. Its formal structure and rhythmic pattern fit perfectly with that of a "Zamba song". Its nostalgic character and melodic phrasing are enriched by the timbre of the clarinet that brings sweetness and mystery. It is dedicated to Gabriel Blasberg, with whom we shared friendship, experiences and musical training in childhood, and who achieves an interpretation of exquisite sensitivity and good taste."
We recorded the Zamba on April 21, 2022 in the city of La Plata in Pablo Asnaghi's studio, with video included, and then we waited several months (until August) to release it at the Clarinetists Congress. After its premiere on video, we also spread it on our networks and it was received with great enthusiasm by the general public and also by fellow clarinetists from different parts of the world. Here you can enjoy the video:
Would you want to buy the sheet music? (PDF clarinet and piano parts) You can submit the form on this link.
About the author:
Viviana Danon began her studies at an early age at the "Manuel de Falla" Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from where she graduated as a Professor of Musical Culture with a specialization in Piano.
At the same time, she was a member of the Children's Choir of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires for six years, receiving basic training in singing there.
She studied piano with the teachers Perla Brúgola and Haydée Schwartz, and singing with the teachers Patricia Lerner and María Pía Girolla.
He has taught at the initial, primary, secondary and tertiary levels, also dedicating himself to choral conducting. She is the founder and conductor of the Coro Azahares de Villa Elisa and the Children's Choir "Voces del amanecer" in whose repertoire they perform arrangements of their own authorship.
As a composer and performer, she has released three albums with works of her own, "Renaciendo" in 2005, "Continuidad" in 2011 and her latest work, "Pianissimo" in 2016.
In 2005 she received the “Fondo Nacional de las Artes” award in the Tango category for his work “Tango para Silvia”.
In 2022 she has premiered two works for clarinet and piano at the V Latin American Congress of Clarinetists.
Today she works as a teacher and teaching assistant at the "José Hernández" School of Traditional Argentine Dances as a member of the Criolla Orchestra of said Institution and as conductor of the Azahares Choir of Villa Elisa and continues her activity as a composer, producing her new record "Kairos ” which will soon be released.