PARIS-BUENOS AIRES, UNE HISTOIRE D’AMOUR is a musical parable, the love story between the aesthetic universes of two cities – two places that have irresistibly strong energies, two places pulsating with life. For generations Argentines have said: “Buenos Aires is the wife, Paris the lover”. These two cities have become symbols of light, beauty and elegance, but they are also cities of shadowy streets, dimly lit by red lights, their penetrating silence infused with the smell of urine. They are, like us human beings, full of light and darkness. One day in 1906 a love story begins between the two metropolises, thanks to tango. This music, born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires at the end of 19th century and growing up in its brothels, lands in Paris like a meteorite. With its arrival a mysterious complicity between the two cities is conceived, never to fade and in which so many Argentine artists have found their inspiration. It is a story within History shaped by wars and coups d’État and narrated by immigrants. In 1954, studying in Paris with the legendary Nadia Boulanger, the aspiring composer Ástor Piazzolla endorses this fusion by deciding to follow the advice of his mentor – to return to his tango roots. Piazzolla will go on to revolutionize tango music. …Paris and Buenos Aires… …the Tango and Paris… …the Tango and Love… a passion, with its intoxications and disappointments which one of the greatest tango lyricists Enrique Cadícamo will write about. A prolific figure in Argentine poetry and literature (and an author of La historia del tango en París), his words give birth to two of the most exquisite themes in the tango repertoire – Nunca Tuvo Novio (She, who never had a lover) and twelve years later, in 1942, Los Mareados (originally called Los Dopados). These two tangos are amongst the most significant works in the history of the genre. Cadícamo pays a secret homage to the Paris-born poet Paul Geraldy through Los Mareados (The inebriated lovers). Inspired by the notion of the Symbolists – that all art should aspire to music – he confirms through his work as a lyricist the intrinsic link which music and poetry have and which is so fundamental to tango. There is no other composer who is more closely linked with the Symbolist movement than Claude Debussy. Famous for setting to music works of some of the most prominent figures in Symbolism – Baudelaire and Mallarmé – Debussy’s music incites the audience’s imagination and lets it transcend to another inexpressible reality. He himself writes that music should produce “the mysterious correspondences which link Nature and Imagination”. Like the Symbolists, the composer evokes impressions of the human soul and the mystery of its existence. Debussy was profoundly affected by the themes of desire and death. One of Paul Bourget’s poems serves as an inspiration to the very young composer who sets it to music as the song Beau Soir: When streams turn pink in the setting sun, And a slight shudder rushes through the wheat fields, A plea for happiness seems to rise out of all things And it climbs up towards the troubled heart; A plea to relish the charm of life While there is youth and the evening is fair, For we pass away, as the wave passes: The wave to the sea, we to the grave. Death permeates the work of one of the most emblematic figures of Argentine poetry and literature, Jorge Luis Borges, himself inspired by the Symbolists. These are the opening verses of his poem El Tango: “Where could they be?” asks the elegy Of those who have disappeared, as if there were A zone in which Yesterday could be Today, Still, and Yet… In 1960 Piazzolla writes music to texts by his friend Borges. Five years later, in 1965, a recording (called El Tango) is released, capturing the collaboration between these two giants of tango culture. Largely inspired by words, Piazzolla goes on to embark on a life-long collaboration with another one of the great argentine poets, Horacio Ferrer, with whom he will produce some of the hits of 20th century tango, including María de Buenos Aires, Balada Para Un Loco, Balada Para Mi Muerte, Libertango, Chiquilín de Bachín and Che, Tango, che. Ultimately, Paris-Buenos Aires, une histoire d’amour is a commentary on love – the love that makes us dream, adore, cry, laugh, long for and join together in one. It is a story about the “affair” between the two eternal and universal themes in art – love and death. Come with us… Close your eyes… Listen… Maria Martinova Cyril Garac was born in Cannes (France) and received the First Prize from unanimous juries in both Violin and Chamber Music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. The winner of many competitions, he continued to refine his playing under the guidance of artists such as Philippe Hirschhorn, Bruno Giuranna, Joseph Silverstein and Sigmund Nissel (Amadeus Quartet). He is regularly sought-after as a performer at festivals in France and abroad, teaming up with artists such as Henri Demarquette, Joseph Silverstein, Julia Migenes,Ute Lemper. His engagements have brought him to such prestigious venues as Salle Gaveau in Paris, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Barbican in London as well as to Japan, the whole of Europe, Russia, India, Australia and South America. As a member of several chamber music ensembles, he has collaborated in the creation and recording of many new works. His inquisitive character has also led him to the world of tango music where he has established himself as one of the most highly regarded violinists in Europe. He has also worked for several French cinema productions. His discography includes recordings for labels such as Virgin Classic/EMI, Milan Records, Arion, Harmonia Mundi, which have been praised by the French music press. Maria Martinova was born in Varna (Bulgaria) and began playing the piano inspired by the rich heritage of musicians in her family. She completed her early training at the Varna Music School, finishing with the highest distinction, prior to being accepted at the Bulgarian National Conservatory. She then attended the Juilliard School in New York as a recipient of the prestigious Vladimir Horowitz Scholarship. After completing her studies at Juilliard, Maria obtained a Master of Music degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has been under the guidance of artists such as Alexis Weissenberg, Alexander Toradze, Joseph Kalichstein, Hamish Milne, Maria Curcio, Peter Feuchtwanger. She is a multiple competition winner and has performed in some of the most prestigious venues in Europe and beyond. A daring artist and a truly multifaceted musician, she has also established herself as one of the most talked- about names on the international contemporary tango scene as the founder of TANGUARDA – the most sought-after ensemble of this genre in Europe. Maria has crossed frontiers, between both countries and genres, always following her artistic credo. Profoundly inspired by theatre and dance, she is strongly driven by her intrinsic need to tell the audience a story.