The first Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra by Loris Ohannes Chobanian, Baldwin- Wallace Composer-in-Residence and Professor of Composition and Guitar, was written and performed by the composer in 1970. Concierto del Fuego for Guitar and Orchestra was written thirty years later for his former student Marija Temo. The two concertos use very diverse compositional approaches. The new guitar concerto draws its inspiration from Spanish flamenco music, a specialty of Temo in addition to her career as a classical guitarist.

At an early age, his instrument the classical guitar, composer Chobanian developed a strong interest in and fascination with flamenco music. He visited Spain and listened to all the available flamenco guitarist recordings of the masters. Among them the recordings of Ramon Montoya stood out as an ideal. In 1955, Chobanian began to perform the classical guitar regularly on Baghdad TV, and after 1960 he performed on TV in Baton Rouge, LA, and in East Lansing, MI. Occasionally he also performed flamenco pieces, but his performances of flamenco were more of the classical guitar type.

The true fiery spirit of flamenco can best be realized with a team of singers, dancers and guitarists. Concierto del Fuego (Concerto of Fire) attempts to capture that spirit. Before starting the concerto Chobanian set special challenges for himself. His aim for this work was to write a three movement concerto based on the flamenco idiom. The work was to create true fusion between the materials performed by the soloist and the orchestra rather than to present the flamenco guitar accompanied by unrelated orchestral material. The musical textures of both the soloist and orchestra contain numerous elements of the cante jondo style and the orchestra at times sounds like a giant guitar. Unlike traditional flamenco music, there are constant changes of tonal centers.

The structural material of the concerto is also influenced by Arabic and Armenian music. Chobanian was born to Armenian parents in the Middle East. These influences are not contrived but rather a true legacy from the Middle East to Spain. In fact when flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya heard that Chobanian had lived in Baghdad, he said, “You have come from the land of my ancestors.”

The three movements of the concerto progressively become shorter. The first movement has a grand, Sonata Allegro form and there are constant changes of character. In the opening measure of the movement, the guitar soloist establishes the rhythmic energy of the composition and in the following few measures the different but contrasting ideas are presented. The strings introduce a melodic theme which is based on a simple motive. This motive is used throughout the composition. The Cadenza in the first movement is by Marija Temo. In the second movement, the soloist’s thematic material is reminiscent of the singers in flamenco presentations. The third movement is influenced by the character of the flamenco dancer. The percussionists imitate the tapping of the dancers’ feet and at times the wood blocks imitate the clapping of hands. The dance figure introduced at the end of the first movement is featured dramatically in the last movement in a Rondo form.

Concierto del Fuego was made possible with the support of the Bascom Little Fund.

Back to top

“ …Temo electrified a sellout audience with Chobanian’s Concierto del Fuego (Concerto of Fire)…” – The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

“Guitar Concerto of the Century.” - National guitar magazine, Soundboard, Guitar Foundation of America

“As an artist, she is precise, brilliant and supremely fiery in her playing. The concerto offered her ample opportunity to display both her flamenco and classical chops, as well as her creativity in the complex cadenza she devised for the first movement.” - The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

“Marija Temo is the person in the world who could combine flamenco and classical guitar at such a high level of artistic interpretation and ability,” Chobanian stated. -WVIZ, Cleveland Public Television

"There is no doubt that this concerto will be the next successful guitar concerto of the century," says Temo. “The world is in need of a new guitar concerto and I am honored to be the first guitarist to premiere such a work.” - National guitar magazine, Soundboard, Guitar Foundation of America

“It is the first guitar concerto written in flamenco style that successfully unites the elements of flamenco with orchestra. It is a work influenced by the rhythms of flamenco and all aspects of flamenco dance, guitar and song but applied in classical form that is extremely original in sound, Temo stated.” - National guitar magazine, Soundboard, Guitar Foundation of America

Back to top

Tango Fantasy combines the characteristic qualities of both the Argentinean Tango and the Flamenco Tango of Andalusia. Over the years, continents apart, these two dances of the same name have pursued their own individual paths and have developed their own distinct personalities. However, there are noticeable characteristics that hint at their common ancestry. In both dances, for example, we witness a compulsive need for the phrases to end in resolute and excited pulsation.

In March of 2007 the composer and his wife Deanna visited many cities in Andalusia, Spain and heard numerous excellent performances of flamenco music. The idea of composing Tango Fantasy germinated during that time in Spain. Melodic patterns of flamenco music have often been influenced by those of the Middle East, especially in the vocal renditions of flamenco. Tango Fantasy uses Middle Eastern melodies. Years ago, when flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya heard that the composer had lived in Baghdad, he said: “You have come from the land of my ancestors. “

Regardless of the many theories and studies that have traced the history of the two dances, the aim of Tango Fantasy was to create something new and that it does. The composition is in one movement and has a balanced formal ternary design. Unlike flamenco music the tonal centers constantly change. Themes of both dances are introduced in succession and develop in many guises that create strong contrapuntal textures. Sometimes they combine to create new units. Midway through the composition the pace slows down to a gentle presence where the inverted forms of the themes are introduced. The solo guitarist renders ornamental commentary on a gentle harmonic background. The opening passage is restated and the composition ends with an exciting coda. Tango Fantasy Is dedicated to the composer’s granddaughter Sosi Lyudmilla Swisher.

Back to top

ARTICLE, Wed. April 16, 2008, The Gazette, Gaithersburg, MD, by Patricia M. Murret, Staff Writer

Fingers flying, elbows erect, classical guitarist Marija Temo punctuates her performances with powerful flamenco strums.

‘‘I’m definitely combining the styles,” said Temo of Gaithersburg. ‘‘What’s really fun at this stage in my life is that I’m finally able to explore both the classical and the flamenco in my work.”

She was first drawn to flamenco at age 6, when the intensity of the music ‘‘gave me goose bumps” and made her feel as if she was being pulled through a tunnel into another world, she said during an interview in her Olde Towne apartment.

Trained as a virtuoso classical and flamenco guitarist, Temo is considered a ‘‘triple threat” in the symphony world, according to former teacher Loris Chobanian. Using her experience as a flamenco vocalist, dancer and conductor, she adapts flamenco styles and rhythms to classical Spanish guitar repertoires and performs them with an orchestra.

‘‘I figure if you love something enough, you continually find a way to make it work,” said Temo of charting her own path as a musician.

On March 5, Temo debuted ‘‘Tango Fantasy” in a performance at the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory in her native Akron, Ohio. She was accompanied by the Baldwin-Wallace Symphony Orchestra, and a live recording is now being prepared for release.

The music, written by Chobanian, Baldwin-Wallace’s composer-in-residence, combines characteristics of the Argentinean tango, flamenco tango of Andalusia, Spain and Middle Eastern melodies.

‘‘In the Spanish flamenco area, women are not considered to be classical guitarists,” Chobanian said. ‘‘They are only supposed to sing and dance and clap, but [Temo] could match any man in that capacity and do the rest of it too. I think many men are intimidated by her.”

The intuition Temo brings to her work goes well beyond technique and performing the notes, he said.

Temo began studying flamenco dance at 6, classical guitar at 8 and flamenco guitar at 11. She has performed flamenco professionally as a singer, dancer, guitarist and conductor since 16. But after she earned a Master of Music from the Johns Hopkins University Peabody Institute in Baltimore in 1993.

Temo decided to ‘‘up the ante” on her own and introduced flamenco into her classical guitar performances. The risk turned out to be a path of promise.

Temo has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at least 16 times, she said. She has performed with symphonies in Alexandria, Va., Hilton Head, S.C., Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta,Canada, and Ocean City, N.J. She has also given solo concerts at world-renowned guitar festivals in the U.S. and abroad.

Likewise, she has planned a May workshop with Swedish flamenco dancer Ulrika Frank to help flamenco dancers, guitarists and singers better enhance one another in their performances. The workshop, ‘‘Solving the Flamenco Puzzle with Ulrika Frank and Marija Temo” will be held at Collective Dance studio in Washington, D.C.

Temo points to imaginary students and asks what unique gifts each brings to a sheet of music. ‘‘When you’re on stage, you’re transmitting your individuality and your gift,” she said. ‘‘And how can you put a price on that?”

This was the second composition for Guitar and Orchestra Chobanian had composed especially for Marija Temo. The flamenco-inspired Concierto Del Fuego, (Concerto of Fire) was premiered in 2001 with the BW Symphony Orchestra. Since the premiere, Temo has performed the concerto with many orchestras and appreciative audiences have consistently enthusiastically received the composition.

The three movements of Concierto Del Fuego present diverse characteristics, yet they are based on musical ideas that are homogenous. The thematic material for both the soloist and orchestra use a common language. Soundboard magazine hailed Concierto Del Fuego as the "Concerto of the Century."

Tango Fantasy matches the flamenco inspired Concierto Del Fuego in vitality and substance. The composition combines elements from three continents in a fusion of Middle Eastern melodies, Spanish flamenco falsetas and Argentinean tango rhythms.

The program notes stated: "Tango Fantasy combines the characteristic qualities of both the Argentinean Tango and the Flamenco Tango of Andalusia. Over the years, continents apart, these two dances of the same name have pursued their own individual paths and have developed their own distinct personalities. However, there are noticeable characteristics that hint at their common ancestry. In both dances, for example, we witness a compulsive need for the phrases to end in resolute and excited pulsation.

In February 2007, the composer and his wife Deanna visited many cities in Andalusia, Spain and heard numerous excellent performances of flamenco music. The idea of composing Tango Fantasy germinated during that time in Spain. Melodic patterns of flamenco music have often been influenced by those of the Middle East, especially in the vocal renditions of flamenco. Tango Fantasy incorporates Middle Eastern melodies. Years ago, when flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya heard that the composer had lived in Baghdad, he stated: ‘You have come from the land of my ancestors.'

Regardless of the many theories and studies that have traced the history of the two dances, the aim of Tango Fantasy was to create something new and that it does. The composition is in one movement and has a balanced formal ternary design. Unlike flamenco music the tonal centers constantly change. Themes of both dances are introduced in succession and develop in many guises that create strong contrapuntal textures. Sometimes they combine to create new units. Midway through the composition the pace slows down to a gentle presence where the inverted forms of the themes are introduced. The solo guitarist renders ornamental
commentary on a gentle harmonic background. The opening passage is restated and the composition ends with an exciting coda. Tango Fantasy is dedicated to the composer's granddaughter Sosi Lyudmilla Swisher.

The soloist Temo's rhythms were precise and fiery. Her rendition seemed to inspire an equally spirited and exact performance from the orchestra. Oltman's beats were expressive and clear. The different characters of flamenco and that of Argentinean tango blended in succession as if they belonged together and they indeed complemented each other naturally. The Middle Eastern melodies were reminiscent of themes that are used to call for prayer. Temo's rasqueados, as expected were exceptional. If there was anything disappointing about the Tango Fantasy, it is the fact that it could have been longer. The audience certainly was in the mood to hear a lot more.

Back to top

KDHX Music Review - Flamenco guitarist and vocalist Marija Temo

St. Louis Classical Guitar Society, 10/7/2006
Reviewed by Gary Scott

People who are passionate about what they love are a joy to behold, and their passion is infectious, making all of us cherish the things we love even more. Flamenco guitarist and vocalist Marija Temo certainly falls into that category. Her weekend performances under the auspices of the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society marked her St. Louis debut, hopefully the first of many. Not only did Temo spread her love of the flamenco style, but she also declared herself to be an enthusiastic fan of the St. Louis area, and her words rang with sincerity.

Although still quite young, Temo began her studies of flamenco as a child, having found the rhythm and expressiveness captivating. For many of us, flamenco is indeed the soul of Spanish music, and it is surely one of the greatest gifts that Spain, with all its contributing cultures—Latin, Gypsy, Jewish, Moorish, African--, has bequeathed to us. Unlike those of us who find it difficult enough to master even one performing medium, Temo has studied flamenco guitar, song and dance, and is able to communicate the essence of each.

It can be a challenge to maintain the momentum of a flamenco concert that features only one soloist or a very small group (although those of us who are aficionados would probably never tire of hearing a talented performer), but Temo responded to the challenge by including not just flamenco works, but also traditional Spanish favorites by Albeniz, de Falla and Granados, and even an Argentinian tango. Except for the classical works, most of the pieces were Temo's own arrangements. Temo was joined on the second half by a local favorite, flamenco dancer Kristina Martinez. The two clearly worked well together, and happily neither overshadowed the other. Martinez is a local talent who should be more widely seen in our community.

Marija Temo's technical and artistic abilities were impeccable. The beauty of the flamenco style is that it combines aggressive, driving rhythms with subtle and sometimes soft-spoken melodies. Phrasing—perhaps the soul of music—was always intelligent, and was the master of the technique involved, not the other way around. Temo's accomplishments give credit not only to her own talents, but also to those of her teachers and the Peabody Conservatory, from which she received her master's degree. Although Temo is above all else a guitarist, her vocal technique should not be underestimated. The flamenco vocal style is a world unto itself, with finely tuned intervals and dynamic gradations. Success in the flamenco style almost requires total immersion into the entire flamenco culture. Indeed, as Temo indicated in a talk on Friday to area schoolchildren, flamenco is a way of life, not only a style.

If I had any criticism at all of the performance, it would be that I would have liked for the guitar to project a little more, even if it required amplification from microphones, and perhaps also I would like to have heard more coloristic effects from the guitar, although this was offset by the addition of dance and vocals to the program. Temo performs on a hybrid classical/flamenco guitar specially designed for her by luthier Tom Rodriguez. The tone is soft and liquid, but here and there a more strident or aggressive tone might serve to highlight even further the more subtle effects that Temo so adroitly achieves.

The St. Louis Classical Guitar Society, under the direction of Bill and Kathy Ash, has long been a strong player in the St. Louis arts scene, as their legions of loyal subscribers will attest. The next scheduled program will feature Spanish guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas on November 4 at the Ethical Society. For additional information, contact the Society at 314-567-5566.

Back to top