PORT OF CALL: BUENOS AIRES

PORT OF CALL: BUENOS AIRES

The music of  ASTOR PIAZZOLLA

Louise Bessette, piano | Marc Djokic, violin | Chloé Dominguez, cello

A Trio for Tango

Welcome into Astor Piazzolla's Argentina: this Piazzolla Trio proposes a stopover in Buenos Aires alongside violinist Marc Djokic, cellist Chloé Dominguez, and pianist Louise Bessette. A sensitive tribute to the Argentinean composer and bandoneonist.

Astor Piazzolla, master of the tango

Astor Piazzolla has largely contributed to the fame of tango throughout the world. Arranged and put together in a cycle, the Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (Las cuatro estaciones porteñas) are as renowned as those of Vivaldi. The arrangement presented here, for piano, violin and cello, is by José Bragato who is also a cellist with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra.

Written in 1982 for Mstislav Rostropovitch, Le grand tango was not performed by its recipient until 1990. Very energetic, it is reputed for its technical challenges for the cellist. The piece Oblivion, one of Piazzolla's most well known tangos, was featured in the soundtrack of Marco Bellocchio's film Enrico IV. The piece Adiós Nonino is a work tinged with melancholy and presented here in a magnificent version for solo piano by Piazzolla. Finally, L’Histoire du tango retraces in four movements the journey of this music from the underbelly of Buenos Aires to the pantheons of classical music. Throughout this program, Louise Bessette, Marc Djokic and Chloé Dominguez show that from now on, tango can be danced by three!

The Trio

MARC DJOKIC

Violinist Marc Djokic is the concertmaster of the Orchestre classique de Montréal (2024 Juno Winner for Album of the Year) and co-director of the multidisciplinary ensemble ART CRUSH (Ensembl’arts). He is a Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer recipient, a Prix Opus recipient and winner of the 2020 ECMA Classical Recording of the Year for his debut album Solo Seven.

An accomplished chamber musician, Djokic tours extensively throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. As a soloist Djokic has performed with orchestras such as the Orchestre Classique de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. From 2022 - 2024 he presented a multi-city tour of new Canadian violin concerto Under the Shadow of the Cypresses, written for him by Robert Rival. Djokic collaborates on multidisciplinary concerts, workshops and community projects together with his wife, visual artist Avery Zhao. Djokic’s recent album recordings include Shadow & Light, featuring three Canadian double concertos (Centrediscs), and Piazzolla – Port of Call: Buenos Aires (Analekta). His second solo album, Solo Eight, will be released by the ATMA Classique label in early 2025. Djokic will start work on recording a third solo album with ATMA in 2026.

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Djokic grew up in a large musical family. He first and foremost studied with his father, violinist Philippe Djokic who was also a pupil of violin pedagogue Ivan Galamian. Marc Djokic continued his studies in the United States under the tutelage of David Russell, Donald Weilerstein, and Jaime Laredo. He performs on a rare Guarnerius violin from 1740, a Carl Becker 1927, and a Hannibal Fagnola 1922.

LOUISE BESSETTE

A versatile musician and piano wizard, Louise Bessette is much in demand as a concert artist in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. She has recorded a broad range of repertoire both as a soloist and with chamber ensembles, appearing the world over with distinguished orchestras and by invitation to prestigious festivals. Many composers have written especially for her.

In 2019, Louise Bessette received the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in Classical Music from the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. In 2016, the University of Western Ontario conferred a degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa upon her to celebrate her accomplishments as an internationally recognized performer.

As a pianist with an eclectic repertoire, and eager to promote exchanges with other art forms, Louise Bessette recorded works by Alkan and Grieg for the soundtrack of French director Julie Lopes-Curval’s 2009 film Hidden Diary, starring Catherine Deneuve and Marie-Josée Croze. It was premiered at the Festival des films du monde de Montréal that same year and subsequently in cinemas around the world.

Louise Bessette received her tenth Opus Prize from the Conseil québécois de la musique in 2021. In 2015, she was listed as one of Canada’s top 25 pianists by CBC Music. She is a Member of the Order of Canada (2001), an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec (2005), and Canadian Music Centre Ambassador (2009). Louise Bessette has been a professor of piano at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal since 1996.

CHLOE DOMINGUEZ

Chloé Dominguez is known for her versatility and rich tone. Her reputation as an avid chamber musician has led her to perform in Canada, the United States, and many international festivals. She is the principal cello of the Orchestre classique de Montréal.

As a fervent advocate of contemporary music, she has premiered many works as a soloist and chamber musician. Chloé Dominguez has received numerous prizes and awards. In 2009, she won the Canada Council’s Musical Instrument Bank Competition and was awarded the McGill University Schulich School of Music’s Golden Violin Award.

She earned her doctorate in performance from McGill University. She currently teaches at McGill University, Domaine Forget’s music academy, and Université du Québec à Montréal. Chloé Dominguez plays on a 1745 Lorenzo Carcassi cello.