Universe

Program Note:

A native of San Juan, Argentina, Juan Pablo Jofre Romarion (also known as J. P. Jofre) is an award-winning bandoneon player and composer. He has been repeatedly highlighted by The New York Times and praised as one of today’s leading artists by Great Performers at Lincoln Center. He has performed and given lectures at Google Talks, TEDtalks, Juilliard and many other places around the world. For the world premiere of his Bandoneon Concerto, the Mercury News wrote that Jofre “is an electrifying composer-bandoneon player.” In 2012 Jofre was invited by the Free University of Bolzano and SudTirol Festival (Italy) to perform for the homage to Argentinean Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Perez Esquivel. He currently leads the JP Jofre Quintet, and the ensemble has been touring internationally since the release of their last album Manifiesto.
Adaptable to various instruments, Jofre’s Universe is performed tonight in a version for bandoneon and guitar. Often preceded by an extended bandoneon solo, the main section features chromatically rising and falling harmonic support above which strings put forth percussive jabs. The work becomes gradually more lyrical and echoes some of the dramatic mood shifts that audiences will recognize from Astor Piazzolla, one of the defining voices in Argentinian bandoneon music.

(c) Jason Stell