“Choosing the Poet to Sing it”: The Powerful Voice of Rosario Armas
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If you are, like me, one of the fortunate ones to have experienced Rosario Armas' singing in a live opera, you will be pleasantly surprised by her latest work: Paisaje Nihilista (Nihilist Landscape). This EP features Mandala, a cycle of six poems by composer and musicologist Susan Campos—Fonseca, which is part of her Paisaje Nihilista collection. The composition dates back to 2014 when Campos—Fonseca dedicated and gifted these verses to composer Julián De La Chica. Captivated by the poetry's power and rawness, he decided to set them to music. He later adapted Gowanus, another cycle from the collection, which premiered a few years later.
● Read more: Exile: Hope and Resilience. An Interview with Cuban pianist Ahmed Alom.
Why will Rosario's audience be pleasantly surprised with her latest album? Because Paisaje Nihilista marks one of the first times audiences can fully appreciate Rosario’s versatility and genre-spanning sensibility. In this album, Rosario’s captivating voice guides us through a journey where destruction and beauty, presence and absence, loss and remembrance intertwine and enhance each other.
Rosario Armas: Mandala 5
In this album, Rosario not only showcases her versatile voice but also proves herself an exceptional interpreter of Campos—Fonseca’s poetry. Each breath and note is infused with profound emotion and movement. Even non—Spanish speaking audiences will be able to sense the emotional texture of the poetry through her expressive singing.
In Paisaje Nihilista, there are six mandalas, each song representing a different facet or layer, reflecting the intricate and evolving patterns of a mandala. Julián De La Chica's organ accompaniment perfectly complements this musical journey, creating an experience with profound aesthetic and spiritual impact for its listeners.
Released on April 26th, the EP is now available across all major platforms, published and produced by Irreverence Group Music. For those interested in reading the full Paisaje Nihilista collection of verses, the book is available on Amazon, published by New York Poetry Press.
Tracklist:
1. Paisaje Nihilista: Mandala 1
2. Paisaje Nihilista: Mandala 2
3. Paisaje Nihilista: Mandala 3
4. Paisaje Nihilista: Mandala 4
5. Paisaje Nihilista: Mandala 5 (Número Humano)
6. Paisaje Nihilista: Mandala 6 (Tritono)
Before releasing this album, Rosario had already showcased her chameleon—like talent with the single Soledad, recorded alongside her husband, pianist Ahmed Alom, as part of the IGMLab project. The song, also composed by Julián De La Chica, draws inspiration from the later work of Costa Rican singer Chavela Vargas and features an extraordinary arrangement by the virtuoso Ahmed Alom.
Rosario Armas
Photo by Julián De La Chica
As I delved into the single Soledad and joyfully identified the influences of Chavela Vargas, I was reminded of the lyrics from a popular song by Spanish singer Joaquin Sabina: “Las amarguras no son amargas, cuando las canta Chavela Vargas” (“Sorrows aren’t as bitter when Chavela Vargas sings them”). In Soledad, Rosario’s voice guides us through the sorrows of heartbreak. We immerse ourselves in it with her, and after reaching certain depths, she brings us back afloat. Just like Chavela, Rosario’s voice makes our sorrows feel lighter, yet deeper.
Rosario Armas: Soledad
I had the pleasure to interview Rosario and learn more about her background and career trajectory.
Q&A with Rosario Armas:
Rosario Armas
Photo by Julián De La Chica
1. Hi Rosario, how are you? It's a pleasure to have you here, we appreciate you sharing some thoughts about your music. First, tell us a little bit about yourself and your start in music.
Hi Gregoria, thank you for giving me this opportunity.
I grew up in a small pueblo called Contla in Mexico, so naturally, my first exposure to music was through mariachi and boleros. When I was about five years old, there was this song from a movie called La niña de la mochila azul that I completely fell in love with. From ages five to seven, it was my song—I’d sing it at every party. That’s when singing became a big part of who I am.
But here’s the funny thing: I always dreamed of singing pop music. I gave it a shot, but it just didn’t suit my voice. So, until I discovered opera, I only sang mariachi and boleros.
2. What's an album that changed your life? How did it change it?
An album that has changed my life is De todas las Flores by Natalia Lafourcade. When it comes to popular music, people tend to gravitate toward the usual beats and forms of Latin American music. However, the first time I heard Natalia’s album, I felt that she showed something completely different. Now that I am trying to go back and integrate my popular music world into my classical training, hearing her album made me see there are other horizons.
3. If you could only play 5 songs for the rest of your life (without getting bored!), which songs would you choose?
La Llorona (Chavela Vargas), Senza mamma (from Suor Angelica, Mirella Freni singing), Rumba pa los rumberos (Los Muñequitos de Matanzas), Solitude (Billie Holiday), Tu me acostumbraste (Omara Portuondo).
4. Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process? Do you have any creative rituals or routines?
Since a lot of my artistic beginnings are based in acting, when it comes to preparing an opera, recital, song, or popular music piece, I focus on giving life to a character. From there, I prepare interpretation, actions, and movement.
I do have a ritual: whenever I want to get ready for performances or artistic situations, I eliminate alcohol for at least a month before the event. I believe that we are pure energy, and in the meditation techniques that I learned, alcohol is one thing that really can take you out of your zen. I personally like to meditate every night, but on the day of an important performance, when I first wake up, I exercise and meditate right after.
Rosario Armas & Ahmed Alom
Photo by Julián De La Chica
5. What genre(s) of music would the soundtrack of your life be? Why?
Bolero and Mariachi combined with good Jazz from the '80s, hopefully with Billie Holiday singing. Bolero and Mariachi are basically the music that nurtured me from the beginning of my life all the way until I began my studies in Opera. Jazz reminds me of New York City, which is my home.
6. Which musicians (current or past) would you love to play with?
I would love to sing with Chavela Vargas, Agustín Lara, Billie Holiday, and soprano Eileen Farrell.
7. Any advice for beginning artists/singers?
Being a musician is one of the most painful, hard, and complicated decisions of my life; however, there has not been one step in this path that I have ever regretted. Being part of the music and art world is the most rewarding life I could ever ask for.
8. What's a song that helped you get over a heartbreak?
Je crois entendre encore from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers.
9. Pick three keywords that describe your lyrics.
Mourn, Fate, Resilience.
10. Do you/have you had any musical "guilty pleasures"?
Whenever I have a broken heart or I want to party “Mexican Style,” you will hear me playing Mexican Banda, especially the kind you dance to with a "Cartoncito de Cerveza."
11. Tell us one anecdote involving your audience.
One of the best performances I have ever given in my life was while singing the role of Cherubino from Mozart’s "Le nozze di Figaro" in 2022. It was the first time I fully witnessed the magic of audience-artist energy. I felt such a big connection with them that it became a night to remember for both me and them.
Gregoria TALKS music
Gregoria (AKA María Laguna) is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), teacher, writer and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in New York City. She has trained in her native Uruguay and in New York City. Laguna works as a principal curator, content advisor, and critic for IGM. Additionally, she writes periodically on Latino topics within the New York community.
As an avid music listener, concert goer and independent researcher, Laguna studies the intersection between music and Psychoanalysis, and wants to raise awareness of the importance of the arts as a mental health tool. She has led highly attended workshops on the healing power of tango, and continues to work on the intersection of music, activism and Psychoanalysis.
Gregoria is the co-founder of Bicultural Collective, a mental health collective for bicultural individuals.