Payadora, Toronto’s tango ensemble, will likely be premiering The Legend of Carau, a brand new album based mostly on the Argentinian people story, in a live performance on June 13. The CBC’s Tom Allen, who’s written a sequel to the standard story it’s based mostly on, will narrate.
Together with music efficiency by Payadora — Rebekah Wolkstein (violin, vocals), Drew Jurecka (bandoneon, violin, mandolin), Joseph Phillips (double bass, guitar) Mark Camilleri (piano) and Elbio Fernandez (vocals) — and storytelling, dance movies filmed by Canada’s PointeTango Dance Firm and a folkloric dance troupe from Argentina spherical out the multimedia challenge.
The album and reside efficiency will debut, however The Legend of Carau can also be a e-book and an internet challenge you’ll find right here.
LvT spoke to Payadora’s Rebekah Wolkstein, and Tom Allen, concerning the live performance.
Rebekah Wolkstein & Tom Allen: Interview
The place did the concept come from?
“Rebekah involves this mix of music and story fairly actually,” Allen says.
“The one factor I got here up with, how I got here up with the concept of wanting to inform a folktale,” Wolkstein begins. “I believe I used to be impressed by my aunt.”
Her aunt was the late Diane Wolkstein, an writer and folklorist who was additionally the official storyteller of New York Metropolis for a time. She was well-known for weaving obscure and infrequently forgotten myths into her tales, and left a legacy of many books and printed works. Rebekah remembers her telling tales in Central Park. “She spent an excessive amount of time in Haiti.”
At one level, Wolkstein was doing a little analysis with a view to utilizing it for not solely Payadora, however, amongst different issues, Schmaltz and Pepper, the klezmer fusion ensemble she co-founded. “I used to be doing a little analysis in Argentine folklore.”
That’s the place she discovered the traces of the story of Carau. “It’s very minimal, what exists on the market,” she notes of the supply materials she was capable of finding. Nonetheless, the outlines of the story intrigued her. “This has the bones of one thing that might be enjoyable to work with.”
She and fellow members of Payadora are intrigued by the tradition in addition to the music. “We love the folkloric music of the area, in addition to tango.”
The story permits for the concept of the primary character touring, which in flip permits for the inclusion of music from the varied areas of Argentina. The album consists of authentic music impressed by these various types.
What appealed to her was the multimedia combine which added dancers and an illustrator. “Increasingly more, I actually like collaborating with different artists and artwork varieties,” she says. “It’s been a extremely thrilling alternative with the challenge to truly make use of different artists.”
Carau started as a COVID challenge which initially emerged as an internet story video. “That’s what I imagined what I needed this to be,” she says.
The dance parts included pointe tango, or a fusion of classical ballet and tango.
“And we’re classical and jazz musicians,” she factors out.
Payadora: The Legend of Carau On Stage
As Tom Allen relates, the live performance model got here collectively by conversations that befell on the street whereas touring.
“He was within the van. He and Laurie would kindly drive me to all these gigs,” Wolkstein remembers. “They had been interested by what I used to be doing.”
“It began as a gig dialog,” Allen says. “Issues are inclined to occur. Seeds get planted.”
“I stated, really, it happens to me, would you be interested by narrating this story?” Rebekah says.
After trying out her proposal, Allen got here again with a constructive response. “It simply provides to the collaborative ingredient, which I really like,” Wolkstein provides. “I used to be in search of individuals who had been trying to have their very own voice.”
That features all features of the challenge. “I acquired stunning illustrations executed by a Canadian illustrator.” Rebekah says she regarded by lists of OCAD grads, trying out their portfolios, earlier than deciding on the best particular person. “I needed someone who needed to be inventive with it.”
She was thrilled with what the collaborating artists put into it. “It simply made me cry once I noticed it.” Wolkstein got here up with a samba, and the dancers went the additional mile to be taught the strikes. “I like it a lot. It’s simply magical what they did with it.”
Along with husband Drew Jurecka, they progressively assembled the transferring components they wanted, from a folkloric dance troupe to a horse for the video. “It’s fully obsessed each Drew and I for a few years.” It additionally took perseverance to use for and look ahead to funding.
“I’m actually excited to have this e-book. I want my aunt was round in order that she may see I adopted in her footsteps.”
The Story
Particularly, the legend comes from the northeast area of Argentina. Within the story, a younger man’s mom is sick with a lethal ailment, and he’s despatched to fetch medication for her. However, as soon as he units out on his manner, he hears an accordion forward within the distance. Following its beckoning sound, he turns into extra enchanted with the music, and forgets his mission.
He dances with a lady, and will get carried away within the festivities. Nonetheless, after some time, somebody is available in with a message for him — My condolences, Carau, your mom has simply died…
Carau, nonetheless, thinks to himself that, since his mom has already died, he needn’t hurry residence simply but. He stays on the celebration, and on the finish of the evening, appears to depart with the girl he’s been dancing with. However, she rejects him outright as somebody who doesn’t care about his personal mom
Carau’s coronary heart is damaged, and he lastly goes residence in tears. However, a god sees what has occurred, and he’s remodeled right into a hen with black feathers and a mournful cry in order that he can lament ceaselessly.
“It ends in tragedy,” Allen notes. “The gaucho has to face that he has been distracted by speedy pleasures and allowed his mom to die.” The cry of the hen makes his shameful act everlasting. “The cry of that hen is a cautionary story,” he says. “Rebekah stated, it’s type of a tragic method to finish the present.”
In keeping with Wolkstein, it was Allen who recommended turning the tragic ending round.
“It’s all the time been a query concerning the piece,” says Rebekah. “It’s thought scary. It’s contemplative. Tom stated, if there was extra to the story, what wouldn’t it be?”
Allen says he started to consider what Carau must do to redeem himself.
“He simply sat down and wrote this sequel,” Wolkstein remembers.
“Truthfully, I didn’t know if Rebekah needed to make use of it,” Allen provides.
Timeless Themes
Whereas it’s a really previous story, the themes are nonetheless relatable at the moment.
“Because of this mythology, myths or legends, stick with us,” Tom says. “The myths of humanity don’t change. They inform us one thing about ourselves,” he notes.
“He’s not an evil man, this gaucho,” he explains. He does make some questionable decisions — however he’s additionally been residing with a mom who’s been slowly dying of an sickness. He’s younger, and might’t face the tough reality.
“Within the sequel that I crafted, he is ready to face among the horror that he’s executed,” Allen says. That’s to not say he can return and repair it. “In any retribution, there are prices.”
It’s consistent with the spirit of the music, of tango, for instance, which contains each pleasure and a darker aspect.
“What’s attention-grabbing concerning the story to me is that his punishment is changing into a hen,” he says. “It’s actually a query of him realizing what that present of transformation is for him.”
He’s wanting ahead to the efficiency.
“Elbio is only a thrilling singer,” he says. “They’re supremely ingenious.”
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Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. Beforehand, she was a contract author with a specialty in tradition and journey for 3 a long time, and a inventive writing teacher for Ontariolearn.
