Manuel Obregon - Mangore

Mangore

     In my Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary, “dedication” is defined as “the act of committing to a goal or way of life.” I find both options of this definition as an appropriate description for the musical career of Manuel Obregon. He is one of the three founders of Papaya Music, Costa Rica’s preeminent music label. A classically trained pianist, Obregon is the musician among the three partners. But I think he should also be referred to as a music historian or musicologist as well and this is where the “commitment to a goal and a way of life” comes into play.

     The accomplishments that Papaya Music has amassed in just seven short years speak for themselves. The company has done no less than an amazing job of preserving Central America’s diverse musical past while, at the same time, opening the doors of exposure for a new generation of talented and budding musicians from this area. As a result, Papaya Music has literally become the standard for other music labels to emulate.

Manuel Obregon

     In 1999, prior to embarking on this lifelong venture of passion, Manuel Obregon recorded an album entitled “Mangore”. Recorded in Germany and mastered in New Orleans, the disc is a compilation of scores written by the revered Paraguayan guitarist Augustin Mangore (1885 – 1944). A child prodigy, Mangore began performing in public at the age of thirteen and writing original compositions by the time he was nineteen. His main musical influences were classical, religious and the indigenous Guarani, of which he was a descendent. During the latter half of his career, in fact, Mangore’ insisted on performing only in Guarani costumes. The list of his admirers includes Maestro Andres Segovia, for whom Mangore performed a private concert, and John Williams, who has proclaimed Augustin as “the purest guitarist ever”. And, of course, Manuel Obregon.

Augustin Barrios Mangore

    Obregon transcribed the songs for his CD, written specifically for the guitar, so that he could give his renditions of them on piano. In that sense, it is similar to “Piano Malango”, Obregon’s most recent CD, which is a collection of songs that represent a history of Costa Rica through its songwriters. A key part of both these discs is Manuel Obregon giving his interpretation, his twist, to the original scores. Nearly a century has passed since Augustin Mangore created his own, personal style of music that was a poetic fusion of his influences. On this nearly one hour disc, Manuel Obregon has successfully channeled his interpretations, his unique variations on the theme, to create a new sound on the piano, different than Mangore’s original works. Included in the arrangements are the classic masterpiece “La Catedral”, the folkloric “Danza Paraguaya” and the challenging “Gran Tremelo”, where Obregon plays an unbridled interpretation.  A project of this magnitude could not be propelled without passion and dedication. Merriam Webster would be proud.

     Unfortunately, “Mangore” has been out of print for several years. A recently unearthed limited amount of copies are available at Jaime Peligro in Playa Tamarindo, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers. Any input concerning this article is welcome.