Borges Music – Valeria Munárriz
- At August 11, 2018
- By Great Quail
- In Borges
- 0
Valeria Munárriz (b. 1927)
Born Rosita Munárriz in Balcarce, Argentina to a Basque father and an Indian mother, Munárriz departed Argentina in the 1970 to establish her career in Paris, where she changed her name to “Valeria.” After two decades of recording tangos in France, she returned to Buenos Aires.
Borges-Related Works
Chante Jorge Luis Borges (1991)
An album of tangos and milongas with lyrics adapted from Borges’ poetry. Described below.
Chante Jorge Luis Borges
Chante Jorge Luis Borges
Le Chant du Monde, 1991.
Track Listing
- Alguien le dice al tango (2:41)
(J.L. Borges, Astor Piazzolla) - Al horizonte de un suburbio (4:10)
(J.L. Borges, J.L. Castiñeira de Dios) - El general Quiroga va en coche al muere (1:57)
(J.L. Borges, Victor Proncet/Mario Cosentino) - Ausencia (3:54)
(J.L. Borges, J.L. Castiñeira de Dios) - El títere (2:35)
(J.L. Borges, Astor Piazzolla) - Milonga de los Morenos (3:18)
(J.L. Borges, Julián Plaza) - A un gato (2:18)
(J.L. Borges, J.L. Castiñeira de Dios) - El tango (3:31)
(J.L. Borges, J.L. Castiñeira de Dios) - Milonga de Don Nicanor Paredes (2:41)
(J.L. Borges, Astor Piazzolla) - El Amenazado (4:34)
(J.L. Borges, J.L. Castiñeira de Dios) - Milonga de Jacinto Chiclana (2:39)
(J.L. Borges, Astor Piazzolla) - Tankas (2:59)
(J.L. Borges, J.L. Castiñeira de Dios) - Milonga de los dos hermanos (3:23)
(J.L. Borges, Carlos Guastavin) - El Caso de la esquina rosada (9:12)
(J.L. Borges, Victor Proncet/Mario Cosentino)
Musicians
Valeria Munárriz, Voice
Anibal Binelli, Bandoneon
Arturo Eric Schneider, Flute
Ricardo Lew & Osvaldo Figueras, Guitars
Rubén Rada, Congas
Antonio Agri & Esteban Prentcki, Violins
Carlos Bolo, Eduardo Ferrer & Fernando Galimani, Bass
Change Jorge Luis Borges contains fourteen tangos, milongas, and songs adapted from the poetry of Borges and scored by a wide range of artists. They are all sung by Valeria Munárriz.
Although I am familiar with the delightful music of Astor Piazzolla, I can make no claims to expertise in Argentine music, and I can barely distinguish between a tango and a milonga. That being said, I thoroughly enjoy this album. The range of music is diverse and engaging, from the exuberance of Astor Piazzolla’s settings to the rich darkness invoked by Castiñeira de Dios. The lyrics are adapted from Borges’ early poems, generally drawn from Fervor de Buenos Aires (1923), Luna de enfrente (1925), and his book of milongas, Para seis las cuerdas (1965); although El oro de los tigres (1972) is also represented by “A un gato” and the Japanese-inspired “Tankas.” Overall, Chante Jorges Borges has a deliciously vivid and gritty feel. Munárriz has a wonderful voice, passionate and expressive, at times recalling an Argentine Ute Lemper. The variety of the settings showcases the versatility of her voice, from the defiant fire of “El General Quiroga” to the French torchiness of “Ausencia” to the duende of “Al Horizonte,” perhaps my favorite song in the collection.
The CD is a French import; and as such, all the liner notes are in Spanish and French, not English.
Additional Information
You can listen to this a few tracks from Chante Jorge Luis Borges on YouTube:
Alguien le dice al tango
Ausencia
Milonga de los Morenos
Tankas
La última diva — A 2005 profile and interview with Munárriz from Pagina 12. [Spanish]
Dicogs Munárriz Page — The Valeria Munárriz page at Discogs has scans of Chante Jorge Luis Borges.
Author: Allen B. Ruch
Last Modified: 11 August 2019
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