A unique musical event will occur on Friday 11 and Saturday, April 12 at the National Auditorium of the Libertad Palace (ex CCK) at 8:00 p.m. The fusion of two worlds, personified by the legendary Lalo Schifrin and the award -winning Rod Schejtmanwill be presented at the premiere of the symphony Long live freedom!
Schifrin is linked to an extensive career in jazz and in the creation of renowned sound bands for American cinema and television, while Schejtman is consolidated as the Argentine promise in world classical music. The joint work of the two Argentines will have its debut under the direction of the Swiss teacher Emmanuel Sffert with the National Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to the symphony dedicated to Argentina, in the program the iconic works of Schifrin will be added as “Mission: impossible” and “Dirty Harry” And the teacher of the teacher Schejtman “The magic I will live”. The musical evening, which will be carried out in Sarmiento 151 of the City of Buenos Aires, has the coordination of the National Directorate of Stable Amps of the Secretary of Culture of Presidency of Nation.
Almost two years ago, in December 2023Rod Schejtman He consecrated to obtain the first position of the “WorldVision Composers Contest ”, the academic music contest considered as the “The World Cup of Classical Music”. The artistic event, developed in Vienna, seeks to consecrate the best and most talented classical music composers of our era every two years.
At that time, musicians from 32 countries were chosen to compete, after crossing a rigorous pre -selection process, by a jury composed of the most prestigious figures of classical music. In dialogue with news, Schejtman recalls that challenge, the composition of Luce Nell’oscurità and his creative encounter with the popular Lalo Schifrin, winner of seven Oscar awards for his soundtracks and songs, and recognized by an Honorary Oscar in 2018 for his extensive career.
“This contest was very demanding, because not only did I look for composers who could write great works, but in turn sought orchestradors, that is, people who had both disciplines, the career of composition and orchestration are two different races. They looked for the Beethoven and Mozart of the current era, people who could do everything and could compose huge works for 100 musicians on stage. And that was the last installment, where I ‘Luce Nell’oscurità’, who finally won and proudly was presented on national radio and was an immense honor for me to represent the country as Argentine in this important event, ”said the musician.
News: Before knowing him personally, who thought of Lalo Schifrin?
Rod Schejtman: The Schifrin that had in mind differs a little from opinion, from public perception. For many, Lalo Schifrin is an impossible mission, Hollywood and Jazz. But for me, Lalo Schifrin is much more than that. For me it was the opportunity to meet someone who was part of a legacy within my research, as well as a kind of musical archaeologist, trying to train me more deeply and investigating old books, making a diagram with the lineage of all composers. Incredibly, Schifrin was the student of Olivier Messiaenthe most important composer of the century, who in turn was a disciple of Maurice Ravel, known by Ravel’s bolero. And in turn, Lalo was a student of Juan Carlos Pazone of the most relevant figures in Argentina, because he was a disciple of Arnold Schoenberg, who brought serialism, atonalism and new harmony to the world. In addition to that we can add that he was the student of Enrique BarenboimDaniel’s father. So, for me, knowing him was much more than Hollywood and jazz.
News: What did you discover in him after the months who were preparing the symphony in his study?
Schejtman: It was a magical moment, and the best way to describe it is surreal. The truth is that everything had its magic, in the sense that it was very strong to talk to him the first time, and it was equally impressive to see him for the first time and enter his mansion in Beverly Hills and enter his studio, where the honorary Oscar are, almost 30 nominations for EMI, Grammy, photos with the most important artists in the world, it was very shocking, even even of intimidating moments. Until I got used to working in that study and being his partner, his couple, as he asked me. Because one of the first calls tells me I propose to do a work in co -authorship, I propose to do a work that is authorship of Lalo Schifrin and Rod Schejtman.
News: How did the creative dynamics of two opposite poles in musical converge for those months?
Schetjman: At that time I was about you, then we started trying you. Imagine that six months working together every day and we achieved a beautiful friendship, in addition to a great team. At that moment you treated him and asked him what he has thought, if a sonata, black, prelude and escape form, minue and, trio and he tells me “Disclpee me, let me give me a advice, without the spirits of ringing arrogant, forget about the classic forms. I am the future.” I said with 92 years and it is the future. What attitude towards life. When I went to Los Angeles I understood a little more about that contagious attitude that he has about life. Because we might think that Lalo Schifrin a musical genius and point, but no. I found out in Los Angeles that he collects Pipas, and as a pipes collector he also won prizes. I learned that Karate studied with the teacher of Bruce Lee, And that not only began to study Karate, but it wears black belt. Then I met a person who has an eagerness to learn, in that we share that need to learn more and more and to arrive, try to reach the maximum or as much as possible, to try to progress as much as possible in the disciplines that we like. An attitude towards the life of Lalo Schifrin really admirable.
News: “Long live freedom!”, The symphony dedicated to Argentina, how did it nurture?
Schejtman: He asks me “Rod, do you know what is false relationship?” Yes, of course, it is something that the vast majority of books invite you to avoid being a very strong dissonance. And Lalo tells me to use it, use it consecutively and together we will create a music that never existed. And that was how we used that combined resource to different techniques that he learned in Paris. We combine both styles, his film music, with the tradition of my classical music, and achieve something unique in this symphony dedicated to Argentina. I also had the immense privilege that Lalo would entrust me all his scores, his arrangements, especially the same books he studied in Paris, who were in French, who studied with Olivier Messiaen, original.
News: What are your musical influences and inspirations?
Schejtman: My father is a musician, he plays multiple instruments, and he dedicated himself all his life to that, especially in what is music for Jingles and advertising. In my house there was always music, in my father’s study there were always great musicians, and music flooded the atmosphere. I start with jazz classes at my father’s initiative, who liked that music and it seemed to him that it was the next, the current. It is interesting because making a parallel with Lalo Schifrin, he tells me when I was there in Los Angeles composing the symphony dedicated to Argentina, which at home was the opposite. The father came from classical music and did not want him to be dedicated to jazz and I came from a father who liked jazz and I wanted to dedicate myself to classical music.
News: That link with your father through jazz improved his career in academic music?
Schejtman: My beginnings with jazz teachers allowed me to have a very large mental opening. A knowledge of harmony, which then to face classical works, gave me a completely different look. Then, at 15, I could somehow take control over my course. I liked classical music too much, especially the era of romantic classical music, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn. On that path I start taking piano classes from the University of El Salvador and it is time to decide which career to follow. My parents, my brothers, practically all engineers, even being my musician father, the training was very important. I make another parallel with Lalo Schifrin, because his parents wanted him to be a lawyer, and he begins the career and leave it. In my case, I am the ITBA Industrial Engineer, I finished the race with a lot of pleasure and pleasure.
News: Did they influence your musical journey?
Schejtman: I appreciate having done this race, because although my passion is music, I love numbers, calculations and solve difficult problems. Composing a symphony and works for 100 musicians are extremely challenging problems. Some call it Everest of the composers, because we must master all the disciplines that counterpoint, orchestration, musical forms, harmony. Faced with such a challenge of composing something great, as well as an engineer who designs great works in music, I couldn’t think of a minor challenge than to achieve what many composers in history had done and told me that it was impossible, that they were born with a talent that could not be developed, that they were geniuses that could not be learned. There are no books that teach to compose symphonies, there are different sources of composers who left written, are their works to be inspired. But the reality is that, at that time, knowledge went from teacher to disciple and universities did not exist. All that knowledge was passed by a legacy of people who had the privilege of being the student of JOhann Sebastian Bach, or Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, who shared different teachers.
News: Did his musical passion triumph, but he is also an engineer, right?
Schejtman: I was studying the engineering career and at one point one of my teachers sees that I do not have enough time for piano classes and tells me something that is difficult for me to share it, he told me “you have seeds from other lives.” That strong phrase for me was very pretty, it is a compliment, but it was devastating. At that time I almost left the entire engineering career and I become a professional pianist. I thought about it, I had a crisis and said no, I’m going to finish the race and then I will continue with music. I will use engineering to see music from angles that others have not done it. Engineering allows you to understand, understand the nature of things, seeing them as a system and having a completely different vision.
News: Was all this for the creation of the symphony dedicated to Argentina?
Schejtman: Rimski-Kórsakov He was a naval engineer and musician. Borodine He had been a chemical, doctor and musician, composer of great symphonies. Being an engineer musician I am attracted to these enormous challenges that some seem overwhelming because they are one hundred musicians on stage, you have to master more than 30 different instruments with each of their techniques and you have to write harmony for each of the parts, which are hundreds of leaves, in the case of our symphony it would almost say 900 leaves of parts. I find it fascinating to face projects of this size. The challenges are motivating and exciting me. It is something that is a huge passion. They call me, summon me and I do not see the time to face it, to the point that I dreamed all my life with composing a symphony, which is what we did now with Lalo Schifrin. And nothing better than composing a symphony with that legendary teacher dedicated to Argentina.
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