(By Fidel Fourcade, special) – In the first of his five dates at the Buenos Aires Gran Rex, Mateo Sujatovich presented a different, intimate and powerful show. Chronicles of a night composed by a boy with a guitar, a piano and a handful of remote-controlled songs.
A musician, his guitar and a handful of songs, that is “The Russian Signal” and the way in which the singer-songwriter decided to give birth to this series of shows that have him revisiting his work in another format and extending the borders of his music. .
After his shows in Peru and Brazil when he did the same in San Pablo and Porto Alegre, the leader of Knowing Russia kicked off his series of presentations at the Gran Rex Theater in the City of Buenos Aires. If the days at the Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima, the Cineclube Cortina in Sao Paulo and Agulha in Porto Alegre had already been emotional and a point of contact with other audiences, last night’s presentation confirmed the norm.
The presentations outside Argentina were marked by the great reception of the public towards the musician and his format. A repertoire and young hits did the rest to round out vibrant and emotional performances.
“Neon Lights”, “It Made Me Late” and “Otra Opportunity” opened the day minutes before 9:10 p.m. in a guitar set, between chords, loops and the depth of “El Ruso”’s voice. Part of the experience of going to see Knowing Russia play live is, in part, hearing Mateo sing on stage but also the person in row 5 or at the back of the pullman.
A minimalist staging with a piano, two guitars supported and a screen was transformed throughout the evening. At first more similar to Roger Sterling’s office in “Mad Med” than to Elvis’ suite at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, but the change and deformation of the visuals became a constant.
The musician continued “Mi casa tu casa” before speaking to his audience for the first time and recognizing the emotion generated by the full venue and the accompaniment of his followers. Tonic, that of emotion, which was repeated for much of the night. Above the stage and between the seats of the theater on Avenida Corrientes.
Songs that evoked the most beautiful love, other lyrics that wait and the constant feeling that music is the only thing that allows us to healthily dissociate for a while, even if it is, from the context of uncertainty that we live. A set of four songs on the piano in a row with “Cicatriz”, “La luna”, “A la vez” and “Tu charming”.
Another of Sujatovich’s many virtues, who knows how to put into words the feelings of a generation voraciously consumed by the times of social networks and the maelstrom of the world to come, lies in his voice. Not everyone can stand up for themselves in front of a full theater and come up with a proposal that is ambitious but that at the same time meets everyone’s expectations.
Then with a 12-string guitar, Mateo arranged for “Montaña Infinita”, “Disfraz” and “Mundo de cristal” to play. Supported by the visuals, “El Ruso” found there the resource to add textures to his presentation in which he added harmonicas, guitars and voices recorded for the show.
Double merit for the band that in a couple of years knew how to have burnt records from being listened to so much by its fans, a couple of hits that have been played quite a bit on the most important radio stations and in Mateo a talented and charismatic leader in equal parts. The value of a smooth and soft song in moments of so much violence.
“Things to tell you” and “The direction” on piano once again made the audience’s hair stand on end. Shadows of Mateo were added to the screens, moons that were transformed and the guitar once again acquired the central role when “La Puerta”, “30 años” and “I want you to call me” were played before “El Ruso” retired a few minutes of the stage as a prologue to the encores.
Melody, cadence and chords that sublimate the feeling of Buenos Aires, localized love songs, with direction and height, like a snapshot of the current times in Buenos Aires, far from the perfect postcards of tango. Listening to the songs of Knowing Russia is listening to the running of a child in the yard of Andrés Calamaro and Fito Páez among many other legends that have influenced but not defined Mateo Sujatovich.
A night marked by the emotionality of the audience and the musician, who sang each of the 20 songs in the repertoire in 90 minutes of show. “Cabildo y Juramento” first on piano and “Loco in the desert” on guitar were the two tanks with which Mateo chose to end a night that will remain in the memory.
The “only tour” will continue at the Gran Rex theater this October 28 and 29 and November 3 and then continue through New York and Miami on North American soil. Then you will return to Posadas, Resistencia, Paraná, Salta and Tucumán before visiting Montevideo. Santa Rosa, Neuquén and Trelew to close the tour on December 11 again at the Gran Rex.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
