On July 15, 2023 the bandoneon player Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi (*1980) entertained concert goers at the Centro Congressos da Madeira in Funchal in the great season finale, accompanied by the Madeira Classical Orchestra under the direction of Gianluca Marcianò, who had already conducted the musicians during the Madeira Flower Festival Concert starring the soprano Viktorija Miskunaite.
The evening started with the piece Tangazo, originally written by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) to be performed by an orchestra. The Funchal version was an arrangement for bandoneon and orchestra by Fabio Conocchiella. It started with dark, somber celli, then the violins joined in and the mood got romantic. After some five minutes, the bandoneon player Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi came on stage and joined the orchestra. This was the first highlight of a memorable evening, an intense moment of passion with the soloist lightening up the scene. Calmer, dreamy passage were relaying instances in which the strings were getting more and more intense, lighter dancing moments were followed by dramatic emotions. It ended with one or two calm bars played by the bandoneon. The musicians had already conquered the public.
The bandoneon player Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi and the conductor Gianluca Marcianò at the Centro Congressos da Madeira on July 15, 2023. Photo copyright © Mafalda Bompastor / Orquestra Clássica da Madeira. Astor Piazzolla sheet music at Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Deutschland, Amazon France.
The second composition of the evening was Omaggio a Federico Fellini, written by Nino Rota for three of the Italian director’s movies: La Dolce Vita, Amarcord and 8 ½. After a dramatic start with the full force of the wind instruments, strings and timpani, the bandoneon joined for a playful, romantic cinema scene. The orchestra reveled in emotions. After elements of a valse and short, calm interlude by the bandoneon, a kind of popular dance followed, faster and faster, with the bandeonista Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi showing all his skills. The public was carried away, participating in a fair before the music ended quietly, followed by a verbal skirmish between the soloist and the conductor, who exclaimed: “It’s your fault” (è colpa tua), before the engaged in another round of frenetic rhythms. The public’s applause was well deserved.
Movies by Federico Fellini at Amazon USA, Amazon UK.
The following composition, Giulietta Spider by Giuseppe Sangeniti (*1987), was written for Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi. It is named after the famous Alfa Romeo car. The soloist told me in an interview two days before the concert that you should imagine yourself on a tour of Italia, around the coastline, in a cabriolet, together with a beautiful women. After a peaceful start by the strings, the piece quickly developed a lot of passion, with the bandoneon player not just standing out because of his yellow scarf. As Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi had told me, we were cruising around the Cinque Terre. The road trip ended peacefully.
On the left, the Artistic Director of the Madeira Classical Orchestra Norberto Gomes, at the center the bandoneon player Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi aka “Supermario”, and on the right the conductor Gianluca Marcianò. Centro Congressos da Madeira, July 15, 2023. Photo copyright © photographer Mafalda Bompastor (yes, her parents named her after the famous cartoon character) / Orquestra Clássica da Madeira.
Next was another composition by Giuseppe Sangeniti written for Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi: Giulia. As the soloist had explained to me, it was too named after a famous Alfa Romeo car. Just that this time, the drive was more aggressive. He had told me that I should imagine myself driving the car on a PlayStation. The music was more dramatic, the strings and the bandoneon were here and there supported by timpani and chinels. One again, the public (rightly) reacted enthousiastically.
A short break followed. Only the strings remained on stage. After two minutes, the conductor and the soloist returned to play Soledad by Astor Piazzolla. The intimistic, sad piece let you revel in solitude. It offered the opportunity for a convincing, short solo by the first cello. Afterwards, the music got slightly more emotional before the song departed in silence.
Astor Piazzolla’s Sur came next, animated by a totally different mood. Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi had told me that this was the composer’s welcome back to the south, his native Argentina. After a romantic beginning with the bandoneon and the strings, the tango developed plenty of energy and passion. Another highlight of the evening greated with great applause.
The 16-year-old accordeonist Inês Ornelas and the 42-year-old accordeonist and bandoneon player Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi. Photo copyright © photographer Mafalda Bompastor / Orquestra Clássica da Madeira. Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Deutschland, Amazon France.
The Italian composer Roberto Di Marino (*1956) wrote Eolia for two soloists and chamber orchestra, in fact for Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi and the clarinetist Alessandro Carbonare (*1967), and dedicated it to climate change. In Funchal, the Madeira Classical Orchestra played it an arrangement for bandoneon and accordion.
At not even the age of 16, Inês Ornelas has won the 2023 International Accordion Competition (Trophée Mondial “C.M.A.”). She is from the island of Madeira, a student at the Conservatório Escola Profissional das Artes da Madeira and, in Funchal, she got the chance to share the stage with Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, who himself had won the international competition in the French town of Lorient in 2001 and had finished as the runner-up in the Portuguese town of Alcobaca the year before. That’s where he had met the Serbian Slobodan Sarcevic who later became Inês Ornelas’ teacher at the Conservatório Escola Profissional das Artes da Madeira.
Eolia started with the bandoneon and the accordion playing a few bars solo, before they were joined by the strings. It sounded like a warm, passionate film music, with frequent dialogues between the accordion and the bandoneon, talking about love. The Funchal public was delighted and offered the musicians a standing ovation.
The 16-year-old accordeonist Inês Ornelas and the 42-year-old accordeonist and bandoneon player Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi. Photo copyright © photographer Mafalda Bompastor / Orquestra Clássica da Madeira.
The last piece of the official program consisted of Le Grand Tango, written by Astor Piazzolla for piano and cello or viola, dedicated to the legendary cellist and conductor Mstislaw Rostropowitsch (1927-2007). In Funchal, the piece was performed in a version for accordion and orchestra, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi could not remember the name of the Russian arranger, when I talked to him.
Composed in a single movement, Le Grand Tango (1982) started with strong emotions, which lasted a long time, before the music became calmer, just to revel again in passion, with strong flows of energy. In addition to the bandoneon, the transverse flutes, clarinets and oboes also got their moments to shine. The rendition of this masterpiece of nuevo tango was captivating, the musicians and the public were carried away. The long lasting standing for this highlight was well-deserved.
For the first encore, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi brought back Inês Ornelas on stage. They played Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango, but this time with both soloists playing the accordion. Their interplay was stunning. It was just one great celebration with the entire orchestra reunited. They offered great drama, an orgiastic sound — and were rightly awarded with another standing ovation.
The second encore was totally different, an intimistic, moving piece composed by Luis Bacalov and called Seduction. Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi was playing the bandoneon, just accompanied by the strings. Another great success with the public.
The third and last encore of the evening was from Nicola Piovani’s marvelous soundtrack to Roberto Benigni’s Oscar winning movie La Vita è Bella (1997), which won the composer an Academy Award for Best Music and Original Dramatic Score. Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi told the public that this was a message of peace to the world. The final tune was not a tango, but nevertheless a great way to end the Madeira Classical Orchestra’s 2022/23 season!
Roberto Benigni’s film Life is beautiful at Amazon USA, Amazon UK.
Supermario in action! Bandoneon player Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi on July 15, 2023 in Funchal. Photo copyright © photographer Mafalda Bompastor / Orquestra Clássica da Madeira.
Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi was born in the Italian city of Atessa in the province of Chieti in the mountain region of Abruzzo on December 26, 1980. At the age of nine, he began stuying the accordion with Professor Panfilo Di Matteo. In an interview, he told me that it was not until around the age of 20 that, in addition, he picked up the accordion.
From 1993 to 2001, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi studied the accordion at the F. Fenaroli Civic Music school in Lanciano, first with Prof. Claudio Calista, then with Prof. Cesare Chiacchiaretta. In addition, he attended classes of specialisation with J. Mornet, W. Zubitsky, V. Vasovic, A. L. Castano, C. Rossi, A. Skliarov and Y. Shishkin.
Among the many prices he won, let’s just mention the prestigious International Accordion Competition (Trophée Mondial “C.M.A.”), where he finished as the runner-up in the category “Senior” in Alcobaca (Portugal) in the year 2000, and where he won the 1st Prize in the same, top category in Lorient (France) in 2001.
In 2006, he resided at the Montreal Jazz Festival (“I colori del mare” with Gabriele Mirabassi and Pietro Tonolo, a project of the EGEA record company).
In 2007, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi graduated with honours from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Music in Rome.
Among the many hightlights of his career, let’s mention May 25, 2009 when he played at Rome’s Colosseum with Andrea Bocelli, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Griminelli and the Abruzzo Symphony Orchestra. The event “L’alba separa dalla luce l’ombra” was in aid of the earthquake victims of Abruzzo, the region he was born.
On December 25, 2010 he performed with the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana in the Concerto per la Vita e per la Pace (Concert for Life and Peace) in Palestinian city of Bethlehem, which was broadcast worldwide.
On June 1, 2011 Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi played at the Arena of Verona together with Erwin Schrott during the festivities for the 150th anniversary of the Italian unification. The show was broadcast live by Rai 1.
In 2012, together with Erwin Schrott and Anna Netrebko, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi toured Germany, England and Denmark in 2012.
On August 11, 2012 he made a guest appearance in Andrea Bocelli’s live show Love in Portofino, released on DVD in 2015 (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr). Other notable guest performances include the 2013 concert with Andrea Bocelli, Riccardo Cocciante, Pino Daniele and Simona Molinari at the event “Teatro del Silenzio”. On February 22, 2014 performed at the Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul together with Andrea Bocelli.
In 2018, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi recorded the album Tango Seasons with Andrés Gabetta and his baroque ensemble Cappella Gabetta (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de).
Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi told me in the interview as well as the concert goers in Funchal on July 15, 2023 that, so far, he has performed in 68 countries around the globe and that the island of Madeira is his favorite place.
He also told me that, for the accordion repertoire, the composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenica Scarlatti are key figures and, that among the contemporary composers, transcriptions of the works by György Ligeti (1923-2006) were important.
Tango Seasons. Vivaldi, Piazzolla. The Cappella Gabetta, together with Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi. Sony Classical, 2019. Audio CD, MP3, Streaming from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de.
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) is a famous bandoneonista and composer who invented the nuevo tango. He revolutionized the traditional tango, enriched it thanks to his knowledge of jazz and classical music, which he had studied with the legendary Nadia Boulanger in Paris. As a student, I had the chance to witness one of Astor Piazzolla’s last concerts, at Geneva’s Victoria Hall on November 5, 1989. Subsequently in Paris on August 4, 1990 he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died in Buenos Aires on July 4, 1992 without regaining consciousness. Here one album released in 2015: Astor Piazzolla: Tango Argentino. Vinyl, MP3 or Streaming from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de.
Find Astor Piazzolla sheet music at Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Deutschland, Amazon France.
This is also the photo on top of this page, showing the bandonenista Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi playing with the Madeira Classical Orchestra under the direction of the fellow Italian conductor Gianluca Marcianò at the Centro Congressos da Madeira on July 15, 2023. Photo copyright © Mafalda Bompastor/Orquestra Clássica da Madeira.
If you read German, have a look at our tango history Geschichte des Tango.
Concert review added on July 18, 2023 at 10:35 Madeira time. Updated at 21:13.
