Here's one I almost missed. The musicians looked a little casual. The director looked more interested in food than music. The accordionist looked like a dentist. Another community orchestra, I think, and start to move on but then I notice a smoothness in tone in the violins and a perfect pizzicato coming from the basses and the accordionist is playing one of Piazzolla's greatest melodies with a great deal of sensitivity. This is no bunch of weekend musicians - these guys are really good. The video notes provide the answer. The group is identified as OSY, Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán, led here by guest conductor, Roberto Tello Martínez. This is an orchestra with a history that goes back to the 19th century and includes some of the best musicians in Mexico. They play a very ambitious program and last year, in addition to a full schedule in the beautifully restored Teatro Peón Contreras in Mérida, the orchestra toured the state of Yucatán to take their music to a broader audience. This video is from a rehearsal for that tour.
Personnel from the orchestra are introduced well in the OSY website. The accordionist is identified in this program as Robert Zahrobsky but I can find no other information about his background. The guest conductor, Roberto Tello Martínez, a composer and professor at Escuela Superior de Artes de Yucatán, is well profiled in this article. Included in that article is a note that Maestro Martínez was also trained as a dental surgeon. I knew there was a dentist there somewhere.
A good performance by a good orchestra and good editing in the video. If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
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