Welcome back! After a great Summer we feel full of positive energy to start a new amazing year of music! The weather is still warm and we can also get some more relaxing time after work or during the week-end. But there are already some interesting news to look at. Among them, I would drive your attention to a new movie realease related to Paraguayan classical guitarist and composer Augustin Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944): Mangoré, por Amor al Arte. It is one of the few occasion we can get some perspectives about a guitarist-composer through the cinema. The movie also features the participation of a reknowned classical guitarist, considered one of the main ambassador of Barrios music: Berta Rojas. She performed all the musics of the movie, being ‘the voice of Barrios’ guitar’.
Barrios is considered a national hero in Paraguay for his phenomenal performances (both live and on gramophone recordings) and for his touching music. And his image is printed on the national currency, with the guitar in his hands (!). Barrios was a pioneer of the classical guitar, he traveled restlessly to perform in the most important venues of Latin America, and he was a prolific composer. Among the most popular pieces, we recall La Cathedral, Un Sueno en la Floresta, Las Abejas, Julia Florida, Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios (also known as “El ultimo trémolo” or “El último canto”), all of them considered jewels in the repertoire for the classical guitar. Some of our students were already enchanted by his music and inspired to start studying one of his pieces this year. We cant’ wait to hear them at the next DalMaestro’s recital!

Here is the trailer of the movie. The production is Paraguajan and so far is only broadcasted in Latin America, but we hope to be able to see it in the USA soon!