Venezuela: A Month for Farewells – Part I

by Laura Vidal

This is a two-part series highlighting tributes to two Venezuelan artists.

Late 2007 and early 2008 were two periods of loss for the Venezuelan cultural soul with the passing of two prominent personalities both in music and literature. The death of Aldemaro Romero in September 2007 and Adriano González León in January of this year, left a vacant space in all that saw themselves and their identity reflected through these artists’ expressions. Although both losses had taken place months ago it seems that March gathered people in order to pay homage and bid farewell to these artists. Concerts, lectures and different activities in the publishing space demonstrated the will of keeping the heritage alive of this two personalities, recognizing remarkably that what the soul does for the body is what the artists do for their people. (*)

I. Aldemaro Romero.

A variety of bands, orchestras, concerts and the presentation of the book: Meeting with the people, finished little before his death, were some of the ways that the art of Aldemaro Romero was remembered. According to Wikipedia, “Romero was a prolific composer, creating a wide range of music, such as Caribbean, Jazz, Venezuelan waltzes, including works for orchestra, orchestra and soloist, orchestra and choir, chamber music, up to symphonic works of great dimensions[…]Romero was the creator of a new form of Venezuelan music, known as “New Wave” (Onda Nueva), derived from the joropo and influenced by Brazilian Bossa Nova. He also had an important role in the field of learned music. In 1979 founded the Caracas Philarmonic Orchestra, of which he was the first Conductor. He also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Romanian Radio/TV and the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra. He was the father of Aldemaro Romero, Jr., who is a renowned biologist in the United States and a leader in Cave fish and Marine Mammal research and Ruby Romero de Issaev, producer and marketing director for Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida in Miami.

The Venezuelan blogosphere also took part in the homage and bidding farewell by analyzing the influence of this composer in Venezuela’s culture and contemporary music.

La Coctelera [es] remembers the good days:

[Aldemaro Romero]Marcó una época importante de la música venezolana con su grupo Onda Nueva pero también siempre estuvo ligado a la música orquestal, pasión que supo inculcar a su hija Adelaida quien fue nuestra directora en el coro de la Filarmónica de Caracas, que él fundó. Hermosa época.

Música, Jazz and Roll [es] underlines his importance:

Proyectos como Onda Nueva le dieron inmortalidad al maestro, combos musicales donde supo unir con delicadeza, lo folklórico, con el jazz y lo urbano, minas musicales que solo el aprendió a trabajar, sacándole el mayor provecho creativo, haciendo lo mas difícil para todo músico, crear algo que nadie se había atrevido a crear, es así como surge el sonido Onda Nueva, un regalo, un legado que el maestro Romero le dejo a la música universal, su firma en forma de notas musicales.

Escena Viva [es] says:

La segunda mitad del siglo veinte musical venezolano tiene en Aldemaro Romero su eje básico de referencia. Cuanto más logradas prosiguen su obra genuina y polémica personalidad, se afinca el criterio que lo calibra como el músico integral más importante de la Venezuela moderna y contemporánea.

Enough of words. Romero’s music says enough, as you can find more on his homepage [es], as well as various YouTube videos.

Part II, which honors Adriano González León will be published later this week.