Caovva Saxophone Quartet Performance
This project is based on the findings of the doctoral dissertation titled The Solo and Chamber Saxophone Music of Aldemaro Romero, which explores the compositions for saxophone by this Venezuelan composer.
Biography
The members of Caovva Quartet are professional saxophonists based in Colombia where they perform as saxophone professors of the main universities of this country. The players of our quartet includes Magister Agustin Castro, professor of saxophone at Universidad de Caldas in the city of Manizales, Dr. Javier Ocampo, professor of saxophone at Conservatorio Antonio Maria Valencia in the city of Cali, Dr. Esneider Valencia, professor of saxophone at Universidad de Antioquia in the city of Medellín and Magister Cesar Villamil, professor of saxophone at Universidad Distrital in the city of Bogotá. What have brought us together is our common interest on promoting the artistic production by Latin American composers. In this case, a selection of the chamber music for saxophone by Aldemaro Romero.
More information
This project is based on the findings of the doctoral dissertation titled The Solo and Chamber Saxophone Music of Aldemaro Romero, which explores the compositions for saxophone by this Venezuelan composer. The objective of performing this repertory is to expose a number of new or little known pieces of the Latin American repertory for saxophone quartet. Aldemaro Romero Zerpa (1928-2007) stands as a major Venezuelan composer of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His classical repertoire numbers over 100 published works. The composer is also known for his popular music, which likewise presents a novel fusion of Venezuelan and international elements. Romero’s creation of the Venezuelan onda nueva (new wave) marked one of the high points of his career. The recognition that Romero received for his creative artistic fusion recalls the achievement of the celebrated Argentinean nuevo tango composer, Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), whose works reveal a similar stylistic synthesis. The repertoire for our performance include:
Fuga con pajarillo (1999): This composition is the first movement of a larger work titled Suite for String Orchestra. This piece is regarded as one of Romero’s most famous compositions, which he accordingly rearranged for eight different instrumental combinations. The work features traditional Venezuelan rhythms and harmonic progressions common to joropo music, particularly to the pajarillo. One of the most prominent aspects of this piece is its rhythmic richness, which is expressed in a multiplicity of polyrhythms and hemiolas.
Preludio y quirpa (1997): This piece exhibits Romero’s musical syncretism of classical genres and traditional Venezuelan music. The work is divided into two sections: the preludio and the quirpa. The preludio section is filled with beautiful melodies that have an intensely rhythmic character. The second section—the quirpa— is labeled as tempo di joropo, implying a fast tempo. The bass line displays characteristic rhythmic and harmonic features of the quirpa such as a 24-chord progression. The melodies and their accompaniments reflect a rich spectrum of distinctive rhythmic combinations derived from the cuatro rhythmic scheme.
Quirpa con variaciones (2003): This work was the last composition that Romero wrote for this kind of ensemble. The quartet features a single movement with characteristic elements of the quirpa, such as the distinctive rhythmic scheme of the bass and the 24-chord harmonic progression. Romero used in this work a rich collection of rhythmic patterns associated with the joropo, set in a three-voice fugal style. This work utilizes an exuberant counterpoint, along with sporadic four-measure homophonic segments throughout.