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From Argentina with Love
From Argentina With Love
TWO CONCERT REPORTS
The following review by Mandy McDonald appeared in the Upper Lachlan Gazette on Wednesday, 26th February, 2025
GUNNING FOCUS GROUP
Gunning Focus Group presented their first concert for the year last Sunday at the Gunning Courtroom. The audience was delighted to hear the beautiful voice of mezzo-soprano Maria Eugenia Nieva and classical guitarist Andrew Blanch present “From Argentina With Love”.
Andrew studied at ANU, Canberra and is now considered one of Australia’s top guitarists and a founding member of the Australian Guitar Quartet.
Maria Eugenia came to Australia from Argentina in 2022. She began her musical studies at the age of six at the Ninos Cantores de Mendoza music school. She joined the choir at the age of nine and developed a thriving professional career, performing as a soloist and chorus member throughout Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, and Argentina.
Andrew and Maria Eugenia have recently toured the US to great acclaim and success.
This concert offered a unique selection of folkloric songs from Argentina, with many styles and rhythms reflecting the diverse cultural influences: tonada, cueca, zamba and tango. It was a fantastic show that enthralled the audience from beginning to end.
The following review by Jane-anne Southwell was posted on Facebook on 25th February 2025.
When you look back over the evolution of musical instruments, you can’t help but notice how timber and wood have been used as major components in some of our most cherished instruments. Even some of our noted wind and horn units had their genesis in a simple piece of suitable or modified timber.
Wood has always seemed to be able to cradle sound in a unique way that brings joy to a listening ear, and yesterday at Gunning, you couldn’t help but notice the effectiveness of this combination once again. The stunning wooden panelling of the old courthouse, wrapped around the sound of a human voice, and seemed to escort song and string accompaniement up into the high ceiling above an enraptured audience.
‘From Argentina with Love’ was the first concert presented by the Gunning Focus Group for 2025, and what a treat. The incredible mezzo voice of Maria Eugenia Nieva was reverently accompanied by Andrew Blanch on classical guitar and the partnership held the audience entranced as we were led through love songs and musical stories from Maria’s western Argentina. She sang with great variety and tempered emotion so that all of us easily understood the meaning of each work. But it was the piece by Piazzolla that brought some to tears and others to shout ‘Brava’ as the last note faded.
Andrew’s solo tango and zamba renditions gave Maria’s incredible voice some breathing space and rounded out a fabulous afternoon.
And as only a country town like Gunning can do – the day-long power outage proved surmountable with the next-door, Gunning Health Service generator, cooling the venue before visitors arrived!!