Roberto Fontanarrosa will be honored by his son Franco, in a musical show

An initiative that combines the father’s narration with the son’s music. Franco Fontanarrosa will present a play based on history trains kill carsthe first work published by his father, Roberto Fontanarrosa, in 1973. He will do it this Wednesday 14 September, at the Borges Cultural Center, with free admission.

“I chose trains kill cars because it is his first book; He wrote it when he was 27, that is, he was younger than me at the time and I’ve always liked those stories a lot. For me, in that book he had not yet developed so much the style of writing that characterized hima more journalistic style “, says bassist and composer Franco Fontanarrosa about the new project.

And he continues: “I feel those stories more punk, more Kafkaesque and youhe has like that darkness which I interpret as typical of his age and that I find them very connected to my music. I would say so, I listen to my music more on those stories than on others like football, for example ”.

Free and in band

The artist will present the performative work trains kill carsaccompanied by Wenchi Lazo on guitar, Mariano Malamud on violin and with the participation of Mariano Bertolini on trumpet and lyrics, direction and choreography by Melina Seldes and produced by Fontanarrosa and Pablo Bursztyn / FibraNr5.

-How was the project born?

-It was during an interview in Switzerland with Christy Doran and Lukas Mantel. This happened before the pandemic, almost at the end of the last tour we did together (Fontanarrosa is part of the trio of guitarist Doran, with Mantel on drums).

We were talking about how to broaden the horizons of the group and Christy, who has always been a mentor to me, explained to me why we didn’t do something with my father’s work. That was the first time anyone made me seriously think about this possibility.

We continue to develop that initial idea; even though the pandemic came later and we no longer had the opportunity to do so, but the idea of ​​developing this project in Argentina remained.

Having decided that the story to move forward was trains kill carshis reinterpretation did not completely convince him, but it also solved an aspect in practical terms.

“It’s that the stories are very short, two or three pages, which makes them almost like a poem and makes it very acceptable to be able to work on them from a musical and narrative point of view, so we were able to put three stories in the play. If it had been a fifteen-page story we would have had to present just that, ”says the musician.

It also highlights an important aspect. “I thought it was central get in touch with my father’s work looking for something new. I think it’s a form of love to work with his lyrics and be able to take some and give it a twist. The truth is that it is a very important project for me ”.

What do we do with music?

-How did you solve the music for this project?

– Initially I composed many short pieces, rather ideas; about fifteen songs and we began the rehearsals which were pure trial and error.

-How?

-We asked Mariano Bertolini to tell a part of the story and we saw what happened when we played one of the ideas we had prepared; So we didn’t feel like it was the right one. No it doesn’t work, we said and tried another one until we got the vibe we liked for that stretch of text. We also shot those rehearsals to see what they looked like from the outside. We didn’t want to get bored.

“The music of the show it has impromptu parts, but they are related to the atmosphere we are looking for, there is no free improvisation. We take great care of the climate in which we develop it. There are sounds and parts programmed, for example, to give emphasis to the text, “says Franco, who premiered this piece on August 27, at the Sala Lavardén, in Rosario.

-How did the performance work?

-Melina Seldes, who is the director and who comes from contemporary dance, intervened at the center on this aspect. Without her it would have been impossible to do this as she coordinated all the work:; from the movements on stage, the responses of the musicians to the texts that Mariano reads or some part of the text we say, to the lights and all the synchronized spectacle that happens.

Franco Fontanarrosa takes stock of this proposal and defines it as an enriching experience. “I already had links with theatrical issues, in particular I worked on several plays with Mex Urtizberea; that is to say, I have already had contact with making music based on something else that has nothing to do with just playing. “

“Music is made in the theater to highlight another issue – he continues – and this considerably changes the perspective of both the performer and the composer. I have always liked artists who are not just musicians, like David Bowie, björk or David Byrnewho have a multidisciplinary head “.

“I don’t see Bowie as a musician, I like being able to play in that field, where I’m not just a musician”, says the bassist who will perform this Thursday, September 15 with Nico Sorín in Niceto, to do Piazzolla Electronica and on Sunday, in Bebop, with his project Paraíso a la Miseria.

“Until now my projects were only about music and this opens up my horizonadds the 39-year-old artist, who has released three albums with La Mujer Barbuda, two with his current project, Paraíso a la Miseria, and four albums with the trio Christy Doran.

Information

Roberto Fontanarrosa was an Argentine writer and humorist born in Rosario on November 26, 1944 and died on July 19, 2007 in the same city. Although he initially stood out in comics, later his stories of him were a reference for Argentine literature. He was part of the editorial team Clarione for many, many years.

trains kill cars will be presented on Wednesday 14 September, at 19:00, in the Astor Piazzolla auditorium of the Borges Cultural Center, Viamonte 525. With free admission.

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