Viviana Guzman, renowned Chilean/US flautist held her golden flute like an archer and blew tango whilst her partner Arina Burcéva respected Ukrainian/US guitarist valiantly resisted the sabotage of a bad microphone.

The concert in aid of earthquake affected Chile featured loads of tango but also music spanning time and territory utilising many indigenous flutes. The duo with partial accompaniment by Jamaican percussionist Mbala maintained the tango’s intent: a musical form originally played on the guitar and the flute, torn between the Latin-classical and jazz tradition.

During Ástor Piazzolla’s Histoire Tango Guzman’s and Burcéva’s playing silenced the coughing crowd at the Courtleigh Corporate Centre last Friday. Burcéva played a steady bass line and chord progression over which Guzman blew rhythmic tonguings and fanciful counterpoints. Piazzola is the famed Argentinean 20 century composer who infused jazz elements within tango to create new-tango.

During an untitled Chilean piece that evoked “soaring condors and natives in the mountains”, Guzman swayed whilst blowing a taunting minor theme then froze whilst playing a major key accidental. She then ended with rhythmic phrases on her nine-karat gold prized instrument. Gold flutes are said to be a bit harder to play but sweeter on the ears and worth the cost of a car.

Guzman, a tall woman whose dress shimmered with her twists, always maintained a warm and clear embouchure. It allowed the listener to relax with this woman who has played with classical superstar tenor Placcido Domingo. She attended the prestigious Julliard School of Music in the US. Admission to Julliard is so challenging that the good need not apply. Flautists gifted enough to get a call back must perform: Mozart concerto movements followed by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy pieces in the interview. Students have to be exceptional even before entry. “[We] want you to think in music not just about music”, said Julliard about its matriculation which costs US$55,000 a year inclusive of accommodation. Guzman however received a scholarship.

Guzman loves flutes and has collected over 100 in her global travels. She played a handful from China, Egypt, Hungary, Ireland, and the US during her performance. Her native American double Kiowa love flute sounded exceeding warm in comparison to many. It operates on the five-tone scale or halleluiah blues scale rather than the 12 tone scale of her standard European flute. The Kiowa flute has been described as a spiritual flute due to its delicate yet warm tone. Her Kiowa flute’s tone was additionally enriched by the second barrel which produces a natural chord when notes are played.

Burcéva’s guitar was trickier, its a lighter grade wood rather than the more common red-brown but its not cheap. Such a pity–Burcéva’s skill was never fully heard uninterrupted as the bad microphone affected her performances during both halves. Fortunately only the first few seconds of an emotive Eastern European solo was affected by the microphone which chipped-in and out. It was a composition built on the gypsy scale that swelled into rapid tremolo attacks and culminated in a thunderous wave of atonal chords swooping down the neck of her instrument. Burcéva is one who could brag about performing for former US president George W Bush and other dignitaries. She plans to release a CD of original compositions this month having attained her masters degree in 2009 at the San Francisco Conservatory under Dusan Bogdanovic and the Grammy-award winning composer Sergio Assad. She also won the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition in 2003 and became twice laureate of the national Zhinovic Guitar Competition at age 14.

During intermission musician Rosina Moder who facilitated the performance scolded the sound engineers for the bad microphone. “This is an international event you cannot have this occurring,” she stated.

One technician told the Observer that the sound-system could not accommodate the intensity of the classical guitar because the system lacked a compressor, which would modulate the sound swells within an acceptable range for the system. He said it was not provided during the set-up.