Nestor Mesta Chayres


Néstor Mesta Cháyres was an acclaimed tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of Spanish songs, boleros and Mexican romantic music on the international concert stage. He was widely commended for his artistic renditions of the works of Agustín Lara and María Grever and was nicknamed "El Gitano de México".

Biography

Néstor Mesta Cháyres was born to Florentino Mesta and Juana Cháyres in a family which included six additional children: Juanita, María Luisa, Herminia, Óscar, Jesús and Margarita in the city of Lerdo, Mexico. His initial studies in music were provided by a local teacher and an organist at the parish church. Even as a child he showed promise as an operatic singer. In his youth, he was also known to sing to a recording of Caro Nome from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto. While still in high school, he exhibited an exceptional vocal aptitude which earned him several awards. After the death of his father in 1925, he earned a scholarship to the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. His studies included instructions in music theory, harmony, counterpoint, and voice with Lambert Castañeros - who had performed at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
Néstor's professional career began in the artistic center of the Mexican capital in 1929 performing songs of Jorge del Moral and Agustín Lara at the Bolivár Amphitheater at the National Preparatory School. Soon he achieved success on the radio station X.E.B. in Mexico City, where he continued to perform for four years. By 1933 he launched a concert tour with the pianist Jorge del Moral to Havanna, Cuba where he performed the waltz Divina Mujer at various theaters. He also appeared in three gala concerts for the President of the Republic during his two-month tour on the island. After returning to Mexico City in 1934, he also recorded several songs including Morena.
By the early 1940s, Cháyres had achieved extensive notoriety throughout Mexico. He soon collaborated with the Sypmphony Orchestra of Mexico in a concert at the prestigious Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City in 1943. This set the stage for Néstor's debut in New York City on the radio for WABC under the direction of Andre Kostelanetz and a subsequent concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra. As a distinguished opera vocalist, Chayres was also invited by the CBS network to collaborate with the contralto Tona la Negra and Andre Kostelanetz conducting the Mexican Symphony Orchestra in a special Easter Sunday broadcast as supervised by the OIAA of the United States Department of State. In the early 1940s he also concertized regularly at the Havana Madrid night club in New York to the acclaim of critics.
Cháyres joined the staff at the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1943 under the musical direction of Alfredo Antonini as a featured soloist on the radio program Viva América while collaborating with the accordionist John Serry Sr. He continued to collaborate with Antonini on additional live radio broadcasts for Voice of America and the Department of State's Office of International Broadcasting and Cultural Affairs in subsequent years. These performances were also broadcast overseas for the benefit of the members of America's armed forces personnel during World War II In addition, they helped to introduce Latin American music and the Mexican bolero to large audiences throughout the United States during the 1940s. Several recordings of boleros were also produced in collaboration with Antonini and his orchestra during this time on Decca Records including: Noche de Ronda and Granada. His recordings in both North and South America for RCA Victor from this period featured collaborations with the Orquesta Radio Caracas and the Orquesta Gonzalo Cervera. They included: Princesita, Todo Mi Ser, Manolete and Silverio.
Néstor also performed regularly on the NBC radio network during this time. He first concertized at the historic Town Hall in New York City in 1945 and returned for a repeat performance three years later. Subsequently, he collaborated once again with Alfredo Antonini conducting the New York Philharmonic for a gala Night of the Americas concert at Carnegie Hall in 1946.
Based upon these achievements, an extensive array of international concerts emerged which included an appearance with the Montreal Philharmonic Orchestra in Canada in 1946. While concertizing in South America he performed in Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina. He also returned to Mexico to perform for President Miguel Alemán Valdés in 1947. In 1949 he joined forces with the Chicago Opera House and concertized throughout Europe in France, Sweden, Holland, Norway, Denmark, England and Spain. During this time Chayres was represented by the prestigious impresario Sol Hurok In Madrid, he performed the Seven Songs of Manuel de Falla to great acclaim. His final tour in the United States and Canada was completed in 1950. Upon returning to Mexico City, he married his wife Peggy Satanon who "discovered" Cháyres during a recital at the Palace of Fine Arts.
In 1951, Néstor's artistic career was interrupted by the tragic death of his mother in an automobile accident. Cháyres suspended his concert appearances for over ten years but did appear in the movie Cuando me vaya in 1954 in collaboration with the such as actors as Libertad Lamarque, Miguel Torruco, Julián de Meriche and fellow vocalists Juan Arvizu and Alfonso Ortiz Tirado. This film biography of the Mexican songwriter María Grever earned two Ariel Awards in Mexico in 1955. He returned to television in 1968 for an appearance in the Paco Malgesto Hour and in 1969 on The Golden Hour of the W. His final appearance on television occurred in 1970 on the show 24 Hours.

Performance style

During the course of his professional career, critics in Billboard magazine applauded Néstor Mesta Cháyres for a powerful, exciting and dramatic delivery which pleased his audiences. He was also commended for the warmth and tenderness of his renditions. Critics also took note of his fine and full tenor voice and his capacity to interpret Mexican-gypsy folk melodies with fire and passion. His powerful voice and expansive vocal range could even be heard outside the theater and often moved his audiences to tears.
Néstor Mesta Cháyres' artistic interpretations of such songs as Murcia, Toledo, Clavel Sevilliano, Granda and the Suite Español by Agustín Lara earned him the beloved title - "El Gitano de Mexico" . He was often compared favorably to the outstanding lyric tenors of his time including: Juan Arvizu, Luise G. Roldán and Alfonso Ortiz Tirado and Tito Schipa.

Death

Néstor Mesta Cháyres passed away during 1971 in Mexico City after suffering a heart attack at the age of 63. His musical legacy includes an extensive collection of recordings of the works of Agustín Lara and María Grever.

Discography

Albums