Duo Assad

 Duo Assad

 


Sérgio Assad was born in 1952 in Brazil and is one of the world’s important contemporary composer for the classical guitar. He often performs in duo with his brother Odair Assad and together they form the legendary Assad Duo sometimes known as the The Assad Brothers as well. They studied the classical guitar with Monina Tavora, a former student of Andres Segovia, for seven years. Sergio once stated: “I believe we were always meant to be a team right from the first time we picked up our guitars. We began playing guitar at exactly the same time and we always studied with the same teachers learning the same music and techniques. Such interaction can only really happen with brothers, because we shared every aspect of our musical education together."

Sergio’s US debut was in New York in 1969, although he was already performing in his native Brazil. He has also made numerous transcriptions and arrangements for both solo guitar and guitar duo including music by Ástor Piazzolla.

The 20th century has produced quite a number of guitar duos but for Brazilian-born brothers Sergio and Odair Assad, the roots obviously go much deeper. There are today's foremost guitar duo and have been credited with double handedly reviving Brazilian music for the instrument.

The Assad Duo embarked on a North American tour in the fall of 1995 with engagements that included Toronto's Ford Centre, and performances in Phoenix, Nashville, The Wolf Trap Foundation in Vienna, Virginia, and New York City. In 1993-94, they returned to Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in New York. Last season they appeared at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium and in San Francisco, Seattle, Miami and New York City.

The Assads' American career began in 1969, under the "Youth for Understanding" aegis. A major prize at the "Rostrom of Young Interpreters" in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, launched their European career. They also achieved victory in the 1973 Brazilian Symphonic Orchestra competition for young soloists. They have given recitals and performed with famous orchestras throughout France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia, Great Britain, the Far East, Argentina, and their native Brazil.

Their virtuosity and musicianship inspired composers like Radames Gnattali, Marlos Nobre, Edine Krieger, Nikita Koshkin, Astor Piazzolla, Roland Dyens to write and dedicate pieces for them. Their repertoire includes original music composed by Sergio Assad and his re-workings of folk and jazz music as well as Latin music of almost every style. Their standard classical repertoire includes transcriptions of the great Baroque keyboard literature of Bach, Rameau, and Scarlatti; and adaptations of works by such diverse figures as Gershwin, Ginastera, and Debussy. Their programs are always a compelling blend of styles, periods, and cultures.

They have worked extensively with such renowned artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Fernando Suarez Paz, Paquito D’Rivera, Gidon Kremer and Dawn Upshaw.










The Assads are also recognized as prolific recording artists, primarily for the Nonesuch and GHA labels. In 2001, Nonesuch Records released “Sérgio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla,” which won a Latin Grammy in September 2002. Other duo CDs include an album of Baroque works and “Saga dos Migrantes” for Nonesuch. They have recorded Piazzolla discs with Gidon Kremer (Nonesuch) and Yo-Yo Ma (Sony Classical), the latter a Grammy winner in 1998.

A Nonesuch collaboration with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg in 2000 featured a collection of pieces based on traditional and Gypsy folk tunes from around the world. Since that recording the Assads and Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg have made three highly successful tours of the United States, displaying unique chemistry, humor and stunning virtuosity. In 2003, Sergio Assad wrote a triple concerto for this trio that has been performed with the orchestras of São Paulo, Seattle and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Upcoming projects include performances of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto Madrigal for Two Guitars” at the Hollywood Bowl where the piece was originally premiered, as well as Sergio’s arrangement of the “Four Seasons” by Piazzolla for two guitars and orchestra in September 2006. The duo will be released a new recording for Nonesuch in 2006 and a Bach recording with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg for the same label in 2007.

Sergio Assad will be a new faculty member at the San Francisco Faculty of Music. He will formally join the faculty and begin teaching guitar in September 2008.

Posted in: classical guitar