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Principe Kalender Plays Principe Kalender -1. La Muerte del Rusiñor 2. El Cisne y La Rosa 3. El Prodigio de las Campanasde Simbirsk 4. Impromptu en Mi Menor – Odeon Records, Argentina – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
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A rarity as well as a mystery this weekend. Italian/Argentinian Pianist/composer Principe Kalender in a program of his own music, recorded by Odeon Records in Buenos Aires around 1947 (most likely earlier) and released on 78 rpm discs.
For some insight as to who this somewhat obscure, overlooked and mysterious person was, I ran across a 2012 interview with Rosana Collao, who did extensive research on Marcello Boasso of Turin, who was also known as Principe Kalender of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It’s in gist translation from Spanish, so it gets a bit creaky from time to time, but it sheds lots of light.
Principe Kalender was a mythical character born in Buenos Aires back in 1939/40 when a world-renowned pianist named Marcello Giacomo Francesco Boasso immigrates from his native Italy to this country that he had come to love so much during his concert tours.
Presenting in different record labels and before different producers, those who heard him used to say that his music was from palaces and that he looked like a prince. This is how the image of an authentic Muslim prince was born, who came to delight us with his wonderful palatial compositions, and it is said that many of his compositions were also born, such as the Aldebaran or El steed of Extremadura.
Marcello Boasso was born in the city of Turin, on January 16, 1902 in a family that was already “touched” by the arts. His father was a painter, his frescoes decorate the Turin chapel and the government palace. His older brother Lauro, also related to painting and music, is the one who at the age of 4 begins to guide him in his first steps in the study of the piano. It is received with honors at the Turin Conservatory at the age of 16, after having won several awards and mentions of this same house of arts. He later studied with Ferruccio Busoni in Berlin in 1921.
In 1936, Marcello who had been touring South America decides to settle in Argentina despite the great sadness that it meant for him to leave his homeland.
He establishes his family home in the Nuñez neighborhood. Live modestly from his profession. In 1956 he separated from his wife and established his residence in the Ciudad Jardín neighborhood in the town of El Palomar. In this area place a small piano conservatory. While working on his radio program on Radio El Mundo, a program that was broadcast from Monday to Friday at 22.30 after the Radioteatro.
He died at his home in El Palomar on February 17, 1960, following a heart attack.
It’s not clear, reading the extended interview from the website exactly why he chose a: to change his name and his identity and b: why he chose to move to Argentina. But suffice to say he was an interesting character who is all but forgotten now.
Enjoy.
