Te Amo, Argentina

On this Latin Grammy Award Winning album, Antonio Lysy captures the cultural range of this country in our recording. He chose these works because they all draw inspiration from the folk music traditions of Argentina. This album highlights the ‘cello as a solo instrument’ and illustrates the impact of pre-Hispanic Amerindian traditions and Spanish based Creole influences as well as the effect of more modern musical developments like the tango on Argentine composers.

Bob Attiyeh at Yarlung recorded this album using Agfa 468 tape and an AKG C-24 stereo microphone with its original brass surround CK12 tube, made available to us by Gearworks Pro Audio. He used five-foot long Yarlung-Records-designed stranded silver interconnects, customized vacuum tube preamplifiers and no mixer. The signal path was as short as he could make it, with as few electronics between performer and final product as possible. With this minimalist recording technique Yarlung believes we give you the closest sound possible to the live event with our musicians in this beautiful acoustic environment. We hope you enjoy the results.

Lysy says “The music we chose for this recording highlights the cello as a solo instrument and illustrate the impact of pre- Hispanic Amerindian traditions and Spanish based Creole influences as well as the effect of more modern musical developments like the tango on Argentine composers.

My personal interest in this music comes from my father Alberto, to whom I lovingly and respectfully dedicate this album. On my first journey to Argentina with him when I was a young performing cellist, he introduced me to the sounds and textures of a fascinating and colorful country, one I had only previously known as a child on vacation.

Suddenly, this music filled me, from Ginastera’s rhythmically contrasting works to the sentimental and passionate Tangos played over the radio, to the rich repertoire of folk songs performed by Eduardo Falú. On each successive return I discovered more about the wonders of the land extending from the icebergs beyond Tierra del Fuego in the south, to the jungle and waterfalls of Iguazú in the north.

I learned more about the fabulous and simultaneously tragic history of the many peoples of Argentina, drinking Yerba mate and discussing the Guardia Vieja (the first generation of tango players) with the Porteños (people from Buenos Aires), riding horses with friends in the Pampas, the rich Argentine grasslands. Unforgettable events included playing in the large, ornate, Italianate opera house, the Teatro Colón, going to the many post-concert asados (Argentine barbecue feasts) at country estancias or ranches. Over the years I continued to search for Argentine music written for my instrument, and I asked composers and arrangers to create more works for ‘cello. It is my privilege to be presenting some of these works in this recording.”

Antonio Lysy – Cello
The Capitol Ensemble
Bryan Pezzone – Piano
Pablo Motta – Bass