Oscar Edelstein in Concert

Bitcoras Edelsteins music is cult, absolutely original, ultra-powerful and new. Carlos Marn, El Diario In his new concert Bitcoras [pronounced bee-tah-koh-rah] Oscar Edelstein from Argentina plays his un-classic piano accompanied by tapes and texts, with vocals and video made by Welsh multimedia artist Deborah Claire Procter. As a composer, pianist and researcher Edelstein is well known for his blend of music that intertwines the popular, classical and contemporary - making him original, hard to define, and often considered as leading the avant-garde from Latin America. Colleagues and critics over the years have compared his music to la free jazz or to names like Cecil Taylor, Zappa, King Crimson, Cage, Varse, Bartok, Piazzolla, and one conductor even described directing his orchestral work Cristal Argento I as like being inside a Picasso painting. But as Edelstein has said, more important than any generous comparison, its about originality and being decisively Latin American with all the paradox, passion and politics which that implies. Edelsteins composition is acknowledged by many as crucial in the map of Latin American contemporary music, opera and performance. Bitcoras translates as binnacle and refers to the ships logs which are usually kept on long sea voyages. In ancient times it included a book where sailors recounted their travels and recorded everything that happened. A binnacle is the place where this valuable information was stored to protect it from adverse weather conditions and the vicissitudes of the journey. This concert is a homage to the wise art of hands encrypted in notations, drawings, poetry - the writings of an ancient journey which for us creates the only reality that matters. Please note: This performance is not suitable for young children as it is a concentrated performance.