
Owner of an extraordinary ability to make easy the difficult, if not the impossible, Marcelo Delgado has just marked a milestone with the Compañía Oblicua: the ensemble he founded to bring to life the works of contemporary academic musicians has celebrated 20 uninterrupted years of activity.
With the measured and calm tone that characterizes him, the teacher, conductor, and composer shares thoughts and reflections on his way of imagining, creating, and listening.
By David Lifschitz
What can I listen to while reading this text? MusicaClasicaBA recommends:
-Why did you dedicate yourself to contemporary music?
-I would have to go back to the beginning of my musical studies. From the start, I put a lot of energy into studying an instrument. I completed the Guitar program at the old National Conservatory, and while finishing it, I knew I wasn’t going to spend my life studying solo guitar repertoire for hours every day. At that time, I had already formed an ensemble where we played tangos I wrote myself, following Piazzolla’s path. The ensemble was called La Ciudad and included violin, flute, electric bass, and piano. After I graduated, I continued studying with a couple of friends on our own.
“With contemporary music, I was able to express my innermost self and give way to a creative need that, fortunately, continues to endure.” – Marcelo Delgado
-When did you decide to approach the world of modern music?
-When I felt I needed something more, I started studying harmony with Julio Viera. I asked him to review everything that had been done up until that point. It was a journey through the world of tonality until one day I saw a score on his piano stand that caught my attention. It was Berio’s *Sequenza I* for flute. Everything I saw on those pages was new to me; although it was written on a staff with note values, it had no bar lines but did have duration markings. That moment sparked my interest in this kind of composition, and I deviated from the path I had been following with the group focused on more traditional Buenos Aires music. I continued my search with Fabián Panicello and Francisco Kröpfl. I was a scholarship recipient from the Antorchas Foundation for two years and found a type of language that truly represented me.
-But you never stopped having connections with popular music.
-Never. I continued accompanying folk singers with the guitar, I was involved with the Catalinas Sur theater group for which I formed a Big Band that had up to 20 members. We performed works of tango, jazz, folklore, and The Beatles with my arrangements. I have been directing choirs for over 35 years, with which we perform popular music. But with contemporary music, I was able to express my innermost self and give way to a creative need that, fortunately, continues to endure.
-How do you define contemporary academic music?
-It is a label that, as such, sometimes says little and sometimes says nothing at all. To someone who doesn’t know it, I would say that it is what was previously known as classical music. It is a sonic expression that essentially relies on imaginative creative activity through which a composer puts their musical ideas on paper for others to interpret. This is a Western definition; I do not include Eastern cultures because they are distant and I am not familiar with them. Beethoven wrote down what he imagined and gave it to the musicians to play. This ensured the preservation of his ideas as he wanted them to be respected in that way. If we imagine a Beatles rehearsal session, we won’t find stands or scores. McCartney would come with the guitar and show some chords or melodic sequences. Lennon would add lyrics, or vice versa, Ringo Starr would set up the drums, and Harrison would play guitar riffs. It was a matter of saying and doing.
-What is your way of composing?
-I imagine sounds that blend with others and write them down in a score. For most people today, that music is difficult. However, I don’t think it is that way. I don’t believe it is more complicated to appreciate one of my works than to appreciate the structural qualities of a symphony by Brahms, Mahler, or Chopin. They are monumental works with many musical ideas and reflections. When the visual arts moved to non-figuration in the early 19th century, geometric forms and colors emerged without ending naturalism. The musical counterpart would be to say that there is no longer a clear melody and accompaniment; no easily recognizable melody and background. Therefore, someone attending a contemporary music concert expecting to hear Mozart will feel disappointed. The mission of composers and conductors is for the audience to learn to listen in a different way.
-How do you convey that complexity to performers?
-If one is not convinced of something, it is difficult to convince others. In 2021, I was teaching at the Astor Piazzolla Conservatory, and its director wanted to form a contemporary music ensemble. Some students who had no experience with this type of repertoire responded to the call. However, in four months we prepared a program. For all of them, it was a revelation to see that this language could also make expressive music. It was not something cold because it was not based on calculations, but on ideas and feelings. Therefore, it is not only necessary to explain technical issues; it is also important to appeal to the power of metaphor, which had been dismissed for a long time. Metaphor has significant power in defining what is happening with the work. It is a resource I use at certain moments during rehearsals. I might ask them to think of a passage as a moment of musical unease; it is a personal idea that helps me convey a way of interpretation.
-Mariano Etkin used to say that the performer is a necessary evil. Do you agree with that idea?
-That statement needs to be understood in its context. He lived in a time when there were no specialized musicians. I’m referring to musicians who enjoyed this music and could play it well. Therefore, his experiences were often very disappointing. That’s why he also established strong connections with people in Germany, where there was indeed a core of performers for his works. Fortunately, in the last 20 years, a generation of musicians has emerged who not only play this repertoire but also enjoy it. And they don’t reject Beethoven because of that. With the Compañía Oblicua, we were able to present an ensemble that works consistently and is visible to everyone.
-It was pioneering work.
-Until I founded it, there were no permanent ensembles, except for Alicia Terzián’s Encuentros group. Up until that point, it was typically three rehearsals, a concert, the pizzeria, and then until the next time.
“We are sustained by the belief that the activity of Argentine composers is part of our cultural heritage.” – Marcelo Delgado
-What do you remember about those early steps?
-We would all meet on Friday mornings in the room above the Melos Publishing House. One of the first things I said was, “Look, every Friday at 10 a.m., I will be at the front with my hands raised, and I will start conducting; if we are all there, I will conduct all of you, if there are four, I will conduct the four of you, if there is one, I will conduct one, and if no one shows up, I will rehearse as if you were all there.” And that’s how it was for years. I used to bring my bag with all the music stands because there were none, arrive early, set up the chairs, and wait. For over 10 years, we have rehearsed at my house every Wednesday. We haven’t stopped for even three months. This is not the experience my teachers had. They worked the land, sowed, and left a good harvest.
-How is that structure sustained in a country like Argentina?
-Desire and passion are what have sustained the Compañía not only to do what we enjoy but also to promote and disseminate the repertoire being created in our country with the available resources. We are an entirely independent group that has never received institutional support from a company, group, or patron. It is very difficult to maintain that for 20 years, so we are very happy and proud. We are sustained by the belief that the activity of Argentine composers is part of our cultural heritage. In France, there might be 5,000 composers, but here we are 300. So, from the critical mass in France, it could be said that 50 are stars guiding the others. It is always necessary to generate critical mass because from there emerge those who set the course. For that to happen, there must also be performers, as repertoires are created for them. If there were no harpist requesting works from composers, there would be no repertoire for the harp. We have consolidated a collection of works for ensemble with over 100 premiered pieces.
-What does it mean to celebrate the first two decades of Compañía Oblicua at the CETC?
-Although we have performed before, we are grateful to be given a venue with all the production that entails during a time of so many restrictions. This is not an end point but rather a transitional stage. The CETC is a symbol for Argentine musical culture; it has been the home for contemporary expressions for over three decades. It is also a pleasure to participate in the “Nuevas Músicas” cycle at the Conservatorio Astor Piazzolla. There, with much less production, we maintain the same enthusiasm, supported by an ardent audience.
-You have composed pieces for all kinds of instrumental and vocal configurations. What is the work you still wish to create?
-I would love to compose a grand opera in a large venue like the Teatro Colón. There, the possibilities are endless. I have a very close relationship with text, sung music, and stage performance. I enjoy thinking about how it will be expressed, how it will relate, and what will happen with the music. Sometimes I write based on suggestions from performers, other times because I think of certain musicians I know, but on other occasions, I imagine things that I’m not sure I will be able to carry out. But I don’t limit myself.
-What memories do you cherish from your relationship with Gerardo Gandini and Mauricio Kagel?
-My relationship with Kagel was more fleeting; he was in Argentina for 10 days. I remember we were rehearsing because I was a preparatory teacher for one of his concerts; I still have some of the faxes he sent me. After a rehearsal at the Goethe Institute, he entered the room with his immense presence; it was like seeing San Martín walk in. Later, when we premiered the Latin American version of the entire cycle of La Rosa de los Vientos at the Margarita Xirgu theater, he stood up and hugged me with his 1.90 meters. Those were very nice moments. I met Gandini through the Antorchas fellowship. His opera La Ciudad Ausente was born in my house. We had a close friendship to the point that I would go every week to chat with him. At one point, we were about to write an opera together. He mentions this in the book published recently with his writings. I have a film of him where he says to the camera— I was behind— “I have an opera for you, for Compañía Oblicua, which is about Satie”—I asked him—“Have you started writing it?” to which he replied, “No, but I have it all here.” [pointing to his head] Life did not allow us to complete it, but I cherish that memory. Although I never studied with him, he left a musical imprint on me.
-You had just released a record with his influence.
-Yes, there are two works that directly engage with him. One is a tribute that was given last year at the CETC, and the other is called Escrito sobre escrito sobre escrito, based on Eusebius, one of his most important works, which is written over a piece by Schumann. I took the piano part as a cantus firmus and wrote over the rest of the instruments. When he passed away, I wrote Tres adioses para Gerardo Gandini for piano.
-Does your music allude to the world we live in?
-Not in a literal sense, because music alone is incapable of truly conveying something alien to it. In music, no configuration of two or more sounds refers to any word. However, what I do has the air of modernity. My work is very much situated in Argentina; it is not regional music and does not adhere to any folkloric formula. It has been said that it is very porteña, although I never think in terms of tango. Apparently, for some ears, that atmosphere is generated, and I think that’s fine.