David Finckel and Wu Han
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July 6: Buenos Aires
Our final concerts of the tour took place in the legendary capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. The name Argentina originates from the Latin word for silver “argentum”, as the country is rich in silver and was referred to in the early 17th century as “Tierra Argentina”. Argentina gained its independence from Spain in 1816, and has had a turbulent political history, right up to the present. Because of its long north-to-south dimension (2800 miles) it possesses numerous types of geography and climates, like its neighbor Chile to the west.
Buenos Aires is the country’s largest city, founded in 1536 by Spanish explorers. It is located on the Atlantic coast, in the central Pampas region, at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. A huge number of immigrants over the centuries, from a multitude of countries, have brought strong cultural influences. Buenos Aires, at first glance, looks like Paris or London or even New York, more so than any city we visited. It was easy for a New Yorker to feel at home here.
Argentina has a long tradition of classical music, with opera houses and concert halls in all the major cities. Buenos Aires is virtually the last great capital of music in which the Emerson Quartet had not appeared. Besides the famous concert hall, the Teatro Colón, (in which we hope to play next time), Buenos Aires is the birthplace of Daniel Barenboim, Alberto Ginastera, and Martha Argerich.
DSCF1581
July 6: Buenos Aires
Our final concerts of the tour took place in the legendary capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. The name Argentina originates from the Latin word for silver “argentum”, as the country is rich in silver and was referred to in the early 17th century as “Tierra Argentina”. Argentina gained its independence from Spain in 1816, and has had a turbulent political history, right up to the present. Because of its long north-to-south dimension (2800 miles) it possesses numerous types of geography and climates, like its neighbor Chile to the west.
Buenos Aires is the country’s largest city, founded in 1536 by Spanish explorers. It is located on the Atlantic coast, in the central Pampas region, at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. A huge number of immigrants over the centuries, from a multitude of countries, have brought strong cultural influences. Buenos Aires, at first glance, looks like Paris or London or even New York, more so than any city we visited. It was easy for a New Yorker to feel at home here.
Argentina has a long tradition of classical music, with opera houses and concert halls in all the major cities. Buenos Aires is virtually the last great capital of music in which the Emerson Quartet had not appeared. Besides the famous concert hall, the Teatro Colón, (in which we hope to play next time), Buenos Aires is the birthplace of Daniel Barenboim, Alberto Ginastera, and Martha Argerich.