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ASA 60th Anniversary Concert, May 29th 2014
Renato Bellucci LIVE, ASA Gala, May 29, 2014
The day of the concert started off pretty much like every other day except for that very special lightness you feel deep inside when a concert is about to come up. I practiced for approximately an 2 hours in the morning, Getting the tremolo to flow is always a labor of patience and must be done very methodically using the metronome.
Paraguayan Autumn can be quite tricky when it comes to the weather and I knew that the evening would be a chilly one and that my hands were probably going to be colder than normal. Therefore, having the tremolo well smoothed out was the thing to do and I knew that the extra dedication I was giving to the tremolo was going to pay off big time later that evening.
I offered the concert at the daily noon Mass at Our Lady of Schoenstatt Chapel only 3 blocks form home and had Communion. I knew now that everything was set for a perfect evening and an immense peace filled my soul as the concert hour was fast approaching.
Peter & Diana Hansen, Renato & Belén Bellucci at Leti Chaves' after concert party
I arrived over an hour early at the concert venue for final sound and lighting check. Vero Pallares and Leti Chaves were on top of everything and made sure that I and the other musicians were being taken care of perfectly. I cannot stress enough what a wonderful job these two amazing ladies pulled off and I know for a fact that the evening would have not been the great success that it was had they not worked as hard and passionately as they did. Thanks to both these wonderful ladies from the bottom of my heart.
The house was totally sold out and close to 1,000 people attended. My classmates, ASA Class of '79 attended and I was tremendously proud of playing for them on such an historic event at our school 35 years after our graduation. My classmates and I were blessed for having had the American School of Asuncion as our Alma Mater. The 70's were dictatorship years for Paraguay, one of the toughest and longest the world has ever known. The US Department of State allowed us to receive the best education in a country in the least likely of circumstances. Amazing people like our beloved General Director Dr. James Stimson and a handful of inspired teachers likeAndy Delgado and Paul Griffin made sure that we receive the best education. I realize how fortunate we all were more and more in its full magnitude with every passing year and I thank God for that. I proudly let the US flag embrace me and my wife Belén at the end of the concert (Picture at the bottom).
Belén, my wife, accompanied me from the dressing room to the very instant I got on stage. Our children were all in the audience. Our Celestial loved ones watched over all of us from Heaven. After a few seconds of silence and introspection to get in the Presence of our Lord I finally let my finger and soul tell the story of Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Cavatina.
Recuerdos de la Alhambra is perhaps the best known piece written for the classical guitar and was composed by Francisco Tárrega. The impact that the Moorish Palace of La Alhambra had on him was the main inspiration for the work which had originally started as a study for the technique of Tremolo.
The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls (in Arabic, («Qa'Lat Al-Hamra'» means Red Castle). It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada surrounded by the imposing Sierra Nevada that fuels its countless water fountains.. Tárrega takes the listener on this amazing journey where the flow of the water that gives life to the countless fountains of the palace is the center theme.
Court of the Lions, La Alhambra
Cavatina on the other hand is the soundtrack of 5 Oscars winning movie "The Deerhunter". A marvelous saga of friendship starring Robert de Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage among other superstars.
I first got a hold of the music sheet when I lived in Madrid. The piece was originally written and performed in the movie for 2 guitars and orchestra. To make it shine on the guitar solo was a task I took at heart from the very start and Cavatina has since become one of my most beloved pieces.
Morning Mass at Our Lady of Schoenstatt, Asunción
With Belén my Beloved Wife after the Concert
