CCK

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The Concerts Are Back!

I’ve talked before (quite a while ago, I guess!) about the free concerts at the Centro Cultural Kirchner (CCK), which several of us go to regularly. Of course they have been off the program for a couple of years now, since the plague came upon us. Finally, they have started again, and I couldn’t be happier!

Last night Venetia and I went to this “Gala Lirica” from the orchestra and singers of the Teatro Argentino de la Plata, and it was wonderful. Full orchestra, a choir that must have had fifty members, and (I think) eight soloists. If you look at the gallery above the musicians in the photo, you can see the choir. There was no blethering between the songs, and they just flowed immediately from one to the next.

They played and sang all the favourites that people know, even if not always the name. The choir sang two songs — with masks on! I think they should get a medal for that.

And at the end, the maestro told us it was their first performance since the lockdown ended, and that’s why they were so emotional.

Afterwards we went out with our friends Marcia and Cliff to one of their favourite Italian restaurants, Broccolino.  The encores went on so long that we were quite late for our reservation. Fortunately, Marcia was able to call them and let them know, and they held our table for us. I hadn’t been there before, but will definitely go back as the food and atmosphere were lovely.

So happy the CCK concerts are back, and can’t wait to go to the next one.

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Concert of Argentine Music

Venetia and I attended yet another great concert at the CCK (Centro Cultural Kirchner). It was by the Orchesta Nacional de Musica Argentina. Argentine music is much more than tango, but I have to confess that’s still my favourite.

It’s unusual to see a tango singer so dressed up and backed by a full orchestra, but we still loved it.

Venetia just told me she has tickets for the CCK tomorrow night, and it is a full tango orchestra this time, so looking forward to that. Stay tuned!

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A great night of music and company!

What a lovely night we had on Friday! Venetia had tickets for yet another wonderful free concert at the Kirchner Centre. A friend of hers is visiting from England, so he came along and I also invited Cecilia.

The concert featured the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Argentina, and for the second half there was also a huge, amazing choir. You can just barely see them on the level above the stage in this photo.

Like most people who see a performance here for the first time, Ian was blown away with the place, the concert — and the fact that it’s free!

I just pinched this photo from Venetia’s Facebook page!

The concert finished just before 10 pm, but this is Buenos Aires so the night was still young and we weren’t finished yet. Cecilia lives quite far away, so she left, but Venetia, Ian and I went on to one of our all-time favourite places (which I’ve written about here before), La Poesia. It’s one of the old Bares Notables, and has the most wonderful ambiance as well as food and — if you’re lucky — entertainment. Tonight we were lucky.

As we were finishing our dinner, a woman came in the front door and I asked Venetia if it was the woman who sings. She doesn’t look anything like an entertainer, so I wasn’t sure, but Venetia said she thought it was. Sure enough, a few moments later the woman took up her place in front of the door and began to sing. No accompaniment, no stage, and plenty of ambient noise, but her beautiful voice rose above it all. My late husband would have said she had a “whisky voice”, which is just what you need to sing tango. I asked her to sing Cancion de Buenos Aires, one of my favourite tango songs, but I didn’t like to video it as she was standing right in front of me. Maybe next time I’ll ask her if I can. In the meantime, I hope this video will give you a taste for her singing as well as the lovely old place itself.

If you ever come to visit me in Buenos Aires, La Poesia will definitely be one of the places I take you to!

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Another Great Concert at the CCK

On Sunday night, Venetia and I went once again to the Centro Cultural Kirchner (popularly known as the CCK) this time to see a concert by the Damian Boletin Quintet. We had no idea what to expect, but what we got was fabulous.

The program was an eclectic mix of non-traditional tango, modern jazz and material written by Damian himself that isn’t readily categorized. But it was one of the best I’ve seen there. I really can’t believe these excellent concerts are totally free.

Here are some photos and, if you are curious about the music, a short video shot by Venetia — who is thrilled with the quality produced by her new iPhone!