Horacio Ferrer

poet, writer

"As a teenager Horacio Ferrer first summoned the courage to introduce himself to the great bandoneonist-conductor Astor Piazzolla in a club that Ferrer and his friends frequented to listen to their favorite kind of music. The year was 1948.

The two men’s paths crossed subsequently on several occasions. Ferrer wrote liner notes for some of Piazzolla’s albums and became known as a specialist in the history of the tango. Still Piazzolla was unaware that the younger man was also a poet.

When Ferrer’s first book of poetry was released in 1965, it included a poem dedicated to Piazzolla, and he sent a copy to the composer. Piazzolla replied, "Horacio, what you do in poetry is what I do in music. From now on, we must work together." Soon after, Piazzolla invited Ferrer to collaborate on a theater piece that would combine recitation with instrumentals and songs.

At the time, Ferrer was also working as a journalist. His newspaper had sent him to write a story about how a young couple—María and José—put a new household together as they prepared for their wedding. This story became the inspiration for María de Buenos Aires. Ferrer completed the libretto in the second half of 1967 and Piazzolla wrote the score in January and February 1968. The premiere took place in Buenos Aires’ Planet Theatre in May 1968. The work was subtitled Tango Operita, or "Little Tango Opera." At its heart is Maria, who personifies Buenos Aires in all its splendor and decay, its euphoric high spirits and wistful melancholy."

From: Source: Program notes on "Maria de Buenos Aires"