Anna Maria Mendieta

Another Success for the Rapides Symphony Orchestra and Local Music Offerings this February

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

The Rapides Symphony Orchestra scored another win this Sunday with Tango del Cielo!

Sunday’s concert was both special and different. From the very moment I walked into Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center, I knew something looked different. It hit me, the curtains were down, and I could not see the musicians as they rehearsed as I am used to at orchestral concerts. This, however, was only the first indication of what was to come as the production itself would feature dancers, a painted backdrop, and a full multimedia presentation. Maestro Zona even donned a stylish fedora and suspenders to go along with the tango theme.

None of this would have mattered much though if the music itself had not been engaging. And, engaging it was! In front of the familiar string players, there sat Anna Maria Mendieta on harp surrounded by her travelling teammates – violinist Thomas Yee, cellist Joseph Hébert, and percussionist Antonio Gomez. With splendid orchestral backing, this foursome of soloists – a veritable chamber group – played brilliant music full of tango rhythms and other colorful Spanish and Latin American elements.

PrintSunday’s concert held many highlights for me. In Act I, the orchestral arrangement of Leyenda de Asturias by Isaac Albéniz was as pulsing and as powerful as the more familiar version for guitar, but here its excitement was amplified by the colorful interchanges between the various instruments. Later, the familiar Bordel 1900 from Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango – originally for flute and guitar – shone with similar brilliance in its orchestral arrangement. In the Second Act, percussionist Gomez and cellist Hébert played solos of their own invention which were full of intensity too. And, everything ended on an exciting note with the famous Malagueña in an arrangement by Mendieta herself.

I was also overjoyed to learn that the Rapides Symphony Orchestra provided two opportunities for educational outreach while the Tango del Cielo troupe was in town. Saturday, Anna Maria Mendieta led a masterclass with local dance studios all about the tango and flamenco dance idioms. And, on Monday, the Tango troupe and orchestra staged an additional performance of the concert for local public schools. I think music should be a vital part of every child’s education, and that it is essential to introduce classical music to children – an age when people’s minds are still so open to new things. The music lectures I myself have given, I know, have been rewarding as I have watched students’ eyes light-up when they hear music that is unexpectedly familiar. I am thrilled to see the Rapides Symphony Orchestra devoting their time to these educational efforts!

Until next time, hope you listen to some great music!

– Jackson Harmeyer - Ticket-Central, Alexandria, LA

Latinas in Music, Artistic Excellent
By Mark Holston

The trappings of success in the music business come in many forms. In the case of Anna Maria Mendieta, a San Francisco-based harpist whose artistry embraces a broad range of classical and popular idioms, being tapped to perform for the King and Queen of Spain and the Pope is a clear sign of her growing international stature.

Each of these young Latinas is a living reminder of how raw talent, melded with focused ambition and leavened with an expansive supporting network of family, friends, and mentors, can propel artists to the upper echelon of their craft. And all three realize just how serendipitous their ascension has been.

For Anna Maria, whose background includes backing a diverse constellation of pop music stars, from Barry Manilow to Olivia Newton John and Frank Sinatra, Jr., per-forming with the legendary rock group Moody Blues was a watershed event. “I remember having a very surreal mo-ment while in concert with that group,” she recalls. “We were playing ‘Nights In White Satin’, and, in the middle of the song, I flashed back to when I was a little girl listening to that song on the oldies radio station in the back of our family station wagon.” Just a kid, Anna Maria nonetheless noticed the beautiful harp solo in the tune. “I was thinking how cool it was to add classical instruments to rock music,” she adds. “I listened so carefully; I wanted to memorize every note. I was hypnotized by the music. And then to be, years later, on stage with Moody Blues, with the lights, fog, effects, the screaming fans, I was in awe of the fact that now I was playing that beautiful harp part! Dreams do come true!”

Anna Maria’s personal story reflects the deep involvement in music of her extended family. Her father plays the guitar while her mother’s instrument is the accordion. The couple met through their music and virtually everyone in the family plays an instrument. Anna Maria is also giving several of her nieces harp lessons.

While her family traces its lineage to Spain, in the New World there were branches in both Mexico and Guatemala. “My Mexican grandmother lived with us until I was 18, and only spoke Spanish,” she recalls of her early childhood. “We’d see my Guatemalan grandmother four times a week, as she would come over to help my mother with the kids or the laundry. Both would cook, and tell stories, and share their cultures with us in many ways. And what stories indeed! My Mexican grandmother’s grandfather was a general. His son became a symphony conductor, another became a concert violinist, and one of my grandmother’s brother’s really did run away to join the circus.”

Her Guatemalan grandmother came to San Francisco to start a new life, her father having been a tobacco plantation owner lost everything because of being on the wrong side of an incoming government. “He sent his wife and daughters to the U.S. to be safe and have a new beginning,” Anna Maria affirms. “My grandmother was a flapper in the 1920’s and met my grandfather at a dance. He was from Cadiz, Spain and was an artist. She was beautiful and looked like a movie star; in fact one of her relatives became one, and starred with Rudolf Valentino in the silent movies.”

For Anna Maria, every day seems to bring another surprising development in her career. Recently, the American Harp Society co-commissioned a concerto featuring Latin American rhythms to be composed for her, with performances al-ready scheduled with three symphony orchestras next year. It’s another example of how this charismatic young harpist has impressed so many across the entire spectrum of classical and popular music styles. After all, none other than Barry Manilow called her his “favorite harpist.”

“Many years ago,” she recalls, “I played for several of Barry’s touring shows, and I was told by his assistant just before the first performance that he would introduce all of the instrumentalists and ask them to play a little something. He probably expected just a little strum from the harpist, but when it came to my turn, I remember that I was very nervous inside not having anything planned. I played something very showy, hamming it up quite a bit. I think it caught everyone by surprise, because I remember Barry stopped, and with a big smile, chuckled and nodded approvingly!”

Anna Maria has also developed a passion for Argentina’s tango, a style previously unexplored by a harpist. “In 2005, in order to understand the music better,” she recounts, “I took tango dancing lessons and, what an eye opener! The music now made sense; I was learning how to be grounded and connect with the earth. We, as musicians, also have to become like dancers and be so intuitively sensitive to one another.” Her tango explorations led to associations with masters of the genre, the formation of her own touring group, Tango del Cielo, and an upcoming recording project to highlight her new expertise. - Latina Style Magazine, National Magazine

Chamber Orchestra Evokes Intensity, Lushness of Tango
By Richard Scheinin

Conductor Barbara Day Turner touches on tango from time to time. It's natural for her. It's natural. She's married to an Argentine, travel's to Buenos Aires with some regularity and clearly is inspired by the city's signature music. Audiences loves that stuff.

No surprise then that day turner and the San Jose Chamber Orchestra began their season with a nearly sold out, tango infused program Sunday at Le Petit Trianon.

The yearning sound of the bandoneon, the button-and-bellowes squeezebox (a cousin of the accordion) that pretty much defines tango, was all over the concert's festive second half. So was the harp, not so familiar in tango orchestras, but sounding lusciously at home in arrangements of works by Astor Piazzolla and Pablo Zeigler.

The program was given an extra boost by two exceptional soloists, harpist Anna Maria Mendieta and bandoneon wiz Seth Asarnow.

Asarnow's playing, at once edgy, lyrical and conversational. This sort of easy virtuosity is an illusion, inasmuch as the bandoneon is a wickedly difficult instrument with its double keyboard and myriad of buttons. Nearly every one of those buttons produces two different notes, depending on whether the bellows are opening or closing.

Following Asarnow came Mendieta, who, if anything was even more impressive.

A charismatic player, she ranged through her instrument: exquisite, finger-flicked dustings up and across the strings; or guitar-like strums, crisp and percussive; or rich-blooded low notes or brilliant high ones. She also contributed (along with Ziegler and Michael Touchi) to the arrangements of Piazzolla's "Introduccion al Angel" (ballet music about an angel descending on Buenos Aires) and Ziegler's "Milonga en el Viento" (which recalls Ivan Lins' "Semptembro").

This was a crowd-pleasing suite with its sweeping song and Piazzollan counterpoint. The interwoven sound of Mendieta (principal harp with the Sacramento Philharmonic) and the orchestra often was luminous. The effect continued with Piazzolla's "Libertango", which featured both Mendieta and Asarnow as soloists -- and found Day Turner actually jumping during one rhythmically charged passage. The orchestra played as if it cared about the music.

(Concert review. Record: 0708300122) - San Jose Mercury News (and published in the League of Symphony Orchestras Magazine)

"Twist with a Beat"
Publication: The Eagle -Lifestyles

By Ashley Swanson
Chadron, Nebraska

Intimidating isn’t a strong enough word to describe the group who took the Memorial Hall Stage on Tuesday. With backs straight, and carrying beautifully carved instruments, along with a large array of music chosen for the evening, it was difficult not to stare with wonder.

Anna Maria Mendieta’s Tango del Cielo, which means “Tango from Heaven,” were the first performers in the 2013-14 Galaxy Series. Complete with a harpist, violinist, percussionist, cellist, and a flamenco and tango dancer, the ensemble did not disappoint. The group opened their performance with a piece called “Ave Maria” composed by Astor Piazzolla.

Their fingers gracefully moving across the strings, with the occasional beat of a drum, the group moved from a soft, soothing tune to a more upbeat section. The second piece, “Adios Nonino” composed by Piazzolla, sounded like a group of people preparing for battle; however, as it moved along, the music became softer, with a happier tune.

“What’s exciting for musicians is using the instruments that add to the character of the music,” Anna Maria Mendieta, harpist and dancer, said. She continued on to describe the type of dancing that would take place. Tango, one of the main dances, involves a lot of leg movement. After introducing each member, and what instrument they played, Anna Maria Mendieta explained the warm and crisp tones, as well as the sweeps she made while playing her harp.

Their next piece “Jalousie,” composed by Jacob Gade swiftly turned into something you might find in Paris amongst the glimmering lights, the moon’s reflection off a nearby canal, and the sound of wine glasses clinking after a toast.

Each new piece the group shared with the audience brought a familiar taste, with a surprise tied in. While some pieces were tranquil and romantic, others were adventurous and intricate.

In the second half of their performance, Antonio Gomez, percussionist, wowed the audience with a series of “painted pictures.” He instructed the audience to listen closely to the sounds he made, but also to close their eyes, and so the music would take them some place different.

The first piece began with the sweet sound of rain gently falling. Bird calls could be heard in the distance—some low and deep, while others were high pitched and quick. The rain continued as different levels of crickets and wind filled the empty space of the rainforest.

The second piece began with the chiming of gongs and drums; the beats quick but the echoes seemed to last forever. Soon, drums were shaking the stage. The music continued to get louder,
much like it’s building up to some grand finale, but eventually fades out.

Not skipping a beat, another set of sound fills the stage, this time the tones make you feel as though you’re in a small town and it’s as though a celebration is taking place, and mugs are being filled with their finest drink while people are dancing together, spinning around and around the town’s square.

Throughout the performance, Suzanne Mendieta, a flamenco dancer, and Eldon Bryce, a tango dancer, elaborate each piece with a meaningful dance, which tells the music’s story through a
different light.

Much like the dancers that one could imagine in Gomez’s final piece, Anna Maria Mendieta and Bryce slid
across the floor as if they owned every inch, and planned on using it to their advantage. Each intricate move was specific. No matter which dance they were performing, their moves showed
determination and love for their work.

Suzanne Mendieta adorned the stage in a new outfit with every dance, each dress longer and thicker than the last. Both dancers seemed to feel the music in them instead of around them.
In the final minutes of the event, Bryce juggled between dancing with Suzanne Mendieta and Anna Maria Mendieta, while the other three musicians continue to flick their music into the air.

The standing ovation that greeted the performers was well-deserved as the group took their bows, thanked the audience for coming, and walked off the stage in the same professional, intimidating manner they arrived in.

By Ashley Swanson - Eagle, Lifestyles. Chadron, NE

By Gary Lemco

Ms. Anna Maria Mendieta is principal harpist of Sacramento Philharmonic, and she plays an eight-pedaled, bright-toned instrument modeled after that custom-made for Nicanor Zabaleta. In the course of her many ravishing glissandi and arpeggiated riffs, she several times in the Piazzolla Suite invoked the Carlos Salzedo Chanson de la Nuit that Nicanor Zabaleta himself championed. Piazzolla, a student of Nadia Boulanger, found his “true voice” in the Argentine tango rhythm, which he soon adapted to his personal, jazzy vision in nuevo tango that no less embraces the canto]i] jondo[/i] of traditional Spanish music. The Suite presented us three well-defined movements, opening with Introduccion al Angel, with cadenzas supplied by Pablo Ziegler and Michael Touchi. The tango rhythm would vie with soli from the first violin, the musical haze assuming an ever increasing erotic component. Conductor Ramadanoff kept a keen eye on both his ensemble and solo Mendieta in the course of the intricate proceedings, maintaining a tight leash on the exotic colors in which Piazzolla indulges. Milongra – Dance of the Wind – presented passing dissonances in the course of subtle, “sirocco” colorations. The last movement, Libertango, indeed proffered “free” dance impulses tinged by chromatics and polyphony, intricate and accented most vividly. Even one of the brass musicians from the Faure piece, here an audience member like the rest of us, commented to a fellow listener, “This piece is really something!” - Classical Music Guide

Review by Elizabeth Warnimont

The The Vallejo Symphony opened its 81st season Saturday with popular favorites from Mozart and Mendelssohn, plus a more unusual, modern piece by Astor Piazzolla featuring guest soloist Anna Maria Mendieta on solo harp. The concert, held at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo, marked conductor David Ramadanoff’s 30th year with the symphony.

Following the Impresario Overture was an unusual and exciting work, Astor Piazzolla’s “Tango Suite,” an arrangement for solo harp, strings, percussion and bandoneón. Mendieta is a true master of her instrument and in fact dedicated much of her music study to gathering and arranging tango works for the harp. She often incorporates dance into her performances and conductor Ramadanoff would have gladly accommodated but for the limited space available on the Empress stage: “We got the orchestra on with a shoe horn,” the maestro quipped. The suite begins with a melody played primarily by the harp. Unlike most music composed for harp, Piazzolla’s suite calls for more plucking and less strumming, resulting in a stronger feel and more dominant melodic lines. Mendieta’s performance was exciting and beautiful, and the orchestra was finely tuned to her sound and style. The violin section came in early in the first movement, with a gentle response to the harp’s theme. The second movement was more march-like, with percussive effects from the string section, striking their instruments for that distinctive tango beat. Moods shifted even within movements, from sad and contemplative to thrilling, with distinct interplay between the harp and the orchestra. The third and final movement of the suite features an accordion-like instrument, the bandoneón. It is actually more like the concertina than an accordion, having no piano-like keys, only bellows and buttons for sound manipulation. Soloist Seth Asarnow played the part on the instrument that was actually owned and played by the composer. The bandoneón part builds gradually, transforming from a serene, almost hypnotic effect to the ultimate, aggressive tango sound. “Tango Suite” exemplifies Piazzolla’s unique talent for incorporating influences from various tango forms into a coherent and pleasing sound. His music was not initially well received, according to symphony board member Mary Eichbauer, but by the 1950s it was “all the rage,” most notably in France. It hit the U.S. in a wave of popularity by the 1980s. - The Benecia Herald, CA

The music was sweet and sad, bowed, plucked, and percussed with refined elegance. Nothing like the sound tango evokes - no sultry, smoldering chords, twisting long limbs in manipulative moves of menace.

If Tango del Cielo's music was pretty, tango dancer Count Glover's countenance smoldered with enough dark intensity to shake the continent of South America, spilling tsunami waves in all directions. Flamenco dancer Fanny Ara was equally chilling, clicking castanets and stomping the stage giving rise to the phoenix. Count and Fanny attempted to dance with each other but were both put off and exited at opposite sides, two titans of terror unwilling to engage each other. Count plucked harpist Anna Maria Mendieta from her instrument and put her through intricate twists and turns, after which he dropped her at her harp and fled the stage. Sometimes he danced by himself, pleased at last to find a perfect partner.

Anna Maria, however, knew what to expect and expertly dodged bullets that would send anyone else to a chiropractor. Anna Maria is genetically coded for tango; her great aunt danced in Rudolph Valentino's silent movie classics.

Tango del Cielo, an ensemble from California and Seattle, performed April 13 at the Florence Events Center, the penultimate concert in the Seacoast Entertainment Association 2011-12 season series. The four musicians celebrated traditional tango and flamenco using classical instrumentation violin, cello, and harp and extraordinary percussion, all arranged with complementary precision. Much of the program of Latin music was drawn from the work of Astor Piazzolla.

Readily recognizable pieces included "Jalousie," "Granada," and "Malagueña." Dancers accompanied some of the pieces. "Danse Espagnole from La Vida Breve" by Manuel de Falla and transcribed for violin by Fritz Kreisler was a literally moving duet between flamenco dancer Fanny and violinist Thomas Yee. Thomas is an excellent violinist, and his fiddle, previously owned by the great Isaac Stern, has a sublime tone, even when it is tasked to imitate crickets.

The innovative group provided other surprises, including video clips on a large screen of Valentino films and colorful artwork to accompany the music. At the start of the second set, the group performed its own silent film against an elaborate stage set. The Count sat at a cafe table drinking wine and feverishly writing a music score. Percussionist Antonio Gomez was a put-upon waiter. Anna Maria arrived to discover the composer's score and played it on her harp. She showed the score to cellist Joseph Hebert who turned it right side up or upside down and played it on his instrument. Thomas appeared wearing a black fedora and toting his cased instrument like a gangster's weapon. 'Twas truly a tango film noir!

Drum solos in any genre are always exciting, but Antonio's "Madera y Cuero" was mesmerizing. He had no traditional drum kit; he sat on a box drum and combined bongos, cymbals, shakers, rattles, a rainstick, and all manner of percussive implements. The string instruments joined in with exotic sounds, enveloping the listener in a tropical landscape by painter Henri Rousseau arranged by John Cage.

Tango del Cielo delivered an innovative and surprising performance of tango and flamenco music. Rain isn't the only thing that falls from the sky! - Suislaw News, Florence, OR