Hellens Manor Concert – Massa Trio

Hellens Manor present the powerful and deeply emotional sound of Massa Trio.

‘Tango and Beyond’ brings together Omar Massa (bandoneon), Kim Barbier (piano) and Markus Däunert (violin) in a programme that raises Tango Nuevo to higher spheres, and unifies the traditional Buenos Aires tango cafe sound with the high art of classical chamber music.

Argentine bandoneon player and composer Omar Massa has been referred to by the European press as “the unofficial successor to the great Astor Piazzolla” and praised in Argentina as “one of the most brilliant bandoneonists of recent times”. He debuted at the age of 6 years playing Piazzolla´s music at the tango cafes in Buenos Aires. After being nominated for the most important award in the recording industry of Argentina for his CD “Tribute to Piazzolla”, the family of Astor Piazzolla invited him to play Piazzolla’s bandoneon, 25 years after his death – Massa being the only musician allowed to do that. The “Tango and Beyond” programme includes Omar’s own works as well as those by Piazzolla.

After moving to Berlin in 2018 Massa met the great violinist Markus Däunert (Concertmaster & co-founder of Claudio Abbado’s Mahler Chamber Orchestra and collaborator of internationally renowned artists like Daniel Harding, Kurt Masur, Martha Argerich, Bernhard Haitink, Trevor Pinnock and Alexander Lonquich among others) playing a programme dedicated to Piazzolla’s music at “Hellensmusic Festival” in the United Kingdom, together with the Berlin Philharmonic soloists Máte Szücs and Bruno Delepelaire.

The French pianist Kim Barbier is not only enjoying an international solo career, but is also is a highly acclaimed chamber musician. For many years she was a member of the renowned Berlin Piano Quartet. One of the Quartet’s members is Bruno Delepelaire, the first solo cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic.

The Bandoneon, Violin and Piano being the key instruments for the interpretation of Piazzolla’s music and Tango Nuevo, in 2021 Massa invited Däunert and Barbier to perform as the Massa Trio, unifying his own musical tradition with their high artistic level. The result is a powerful and deeply emotional sound, which raises Tango Nuevo to higher spheres”.