The Foundation for Bolivian Artists presents Kantuta Concerts, Op. 2: José Navarro-Silberstein
José Navarro-Silberstein, pianist
Merkin Hall at the Kaufmann Music Center, New York, NY
February 28, 2025
An exciting evening of piano music – largely South American – kicked off the musical weekend, as Bolivian pianist José Navarro-Silberstein gave his New York recital debut at Merkin Hall, presented by Kantuta Concerts under the auspices of the Foundation for Bolivian Artists. A program dominated by music of Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil, via Eduardo Caba, Alberto Ginastera, Marvin Sandi, and Heitor Villa-Lobos, it also included a few selections by European composers Franz Liszt and Ferrucio Busoni. Folk influence was present in all, emerging as one aspect of what the concert’s promotional materials termed “the artistic dialogue between Latin American and European composers, exploring how they have influenced and inspired each other over time.”
More specifically, the Foundation for Bolivian Artists and Kantuta Concerts, founded and run by Bolivian compatriot Walter Aparicio (who for full disclosure also writes for New York Concert Review), has a mission to promote and expand awareness of Bolivian art and artists. From Mr. Aparicio’s spoken introduction to the concert, it was clear that Kantuta, now in its second year, is well on its way. A few audience members in the packed hall unfurled a Bolivian flag across their row to underscore just that, though the performances by Mr. Navarro-Silberstein accomplished as much through music.
The reader can find Mr. Navarro-Silberstein’s biography at his website (José Navarro-Silberstein), but to summarize, in addition to garnering some impressive prizes, his performances have taken him to Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Austria, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Georgia, Lithuania, Chile and Bolivia. As a soloist, he has performed with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock, Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra, La Paz Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta de Jóvenes Musicos Bolivianos, and Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Santa Cruz de la Sierra. His debut CD “Vibrant Rhythms” recently released by GENUIN Classics and containing some of the same repertoire he performed at Merkin, has already received international acclaim.
After nearly two decades of writing music reviews (among other musical pursuits), it was a treat for this reviewer to attend a concert that included the work of several completely unfamiliar composers – in this case, the two Bolivian composers, Eduardo Caba (1890-1953) and Marvin Sandi (1938-68); for that awakening in itself, Kantuta is to be congratulated. The opening Caba pieces were beguiling in Mr. Navarro-Silberstein’s sensitive reading. We heard Nos. 1, 4, and 9 from the set entitled Aires Indios (de Bolivia) from 1937. No 1 was a gentle melodic piece, rather reminiscent of some of Grieg’s lyrical miniatures (or even MacDowell’s) in innocence and directness – though of course no country or composer has a lock on pastoral beauty. The second piece reflected more characteristically Latin rhythms, and the final selection brought to mind Ravel’s fountains and fourths. It seems plausible that Caba (who had studied in Europe with Turina – who had studied in Paris) may have absorbed some second-hand influence there. Anyway, it was fascinating to hear, and Mr. Navarro-Silberstein played all three persuasively.
To skip ahead to the other Bolivian composer, Marvin Sandi, we heard Ritmos Panteísticos, Op. 1a (1957) in the first half and In Memoriam (Homenaje a Caba), Op. 1b (1958) to open the second half. Both works of this short-lived composer were composed around age nineteen. In Ritmos Panteísticos, the opening movement “…de la roca” found the pianist enjoying the clashing sonorities that brought to mind Ginastera (as in the Danza del gaucho matrero). The second and third movements, “…de la luz” and “…de la luna,” conveyed the spaciousness one associates with the Andean landscape of the composer’s homeland – with still more tonal exploration, and the final motoric “…del sexo” closed the set with insistent rhythmic drive projected powerfully by Mr. Navarro-Silberstein. The meditative In Memoriam (Homenaje a Caba) after intermission opened rather severely, with dramatic left hand octaves, but it melted into such soulful lyricism that one could only feel even sadder that the composer did not have many more years of creativity.
More familiar South American fare included Suite de Danzas Criollas, Op. 15 (1957), by Ginastera and Ciclo Brasileiro, W. 374 (1936-1937), by Villa-Lobos. Mr. Navarro maximized the tenderness in the opening Adagietto of the Danzas Criollas and took us on a wild ride through the rugged turf of the Allegro rustico. He entranced us with the 11/8 meter in the third movement – and made further magic of the fourth, with its play of major and minor seconds that had one thinking of Bartók. He unleashed superhuman energy in the Scherzando – with the coda drawing cheers from the audience. The Villa-Lobos Ciclo that closed the program was similarly brimming with life. Highlights were the dreamily melodic Plantio do caboclo, the famously brilliant Festa no sertão, and the fiery Dança do Índio branco. Together they were an impassioned triumph.
Much of the South American music had a listener wondering whether the pianist would be equally at home in Liszt and Busoni, and the answer emerged as a “yes.” Though (at the risk of having to dodge tomatoes) this listener has never been a fan of the Busoni Indian Diary as more than a curiosity, with its mercurial shifts of eclectic material seeming rather alien to the folk motifs it is based on, but it was still fascinating to hear live – and not a common occurrence, so worth the inclusion (especially given the theme of transcontinental “dialogue” used to promote the program).
As for the Liszt Rhapsody No. 9, Mr. Navarro-Silberstein showed that no pyrotechnics are beyond his grasp – from coruscating runs to blazing octaves. In terms of style, it does seem that he may have missed the opportunity, in the moderato a capriccio, to establish a tempo that was slow and elastic enough to free up the whimsical right-hand elaborations without violating or straitjacketing the left hand, but such preferences always increase with familiarity (and this listener finds it hard to “unhear” a favorite rendition by Cziffra). In any case, Mr. Navarro-Silberstein can be extremely proud of what was an amazing feat – especially on a program that was already so demanding.
One suggestion for the next concert would be the inclusion of program notes, since, especially with a few lesser-known composers slated and the presenter’s mission of increasing awareness of Bolivian music, it would have been educational for the audience. Then again, it is possible that some inserted notes existed, but went missing in the folding, as there was spoken reference from the stage to some other information that was also not found.
Mr. Navarro-Silberstein rewarded a hearty standing ovation with two lovely encores, the first, a Bolivian folk song, and the second, Mihaud’s Corocovado from Saudades Do Brasil. It was a highly auspicious debut for an outstanding pianist who will be well worth following.
