Remembering Astor Piazzolla & His Tangos

On this CD:

1. Adiós Nonino, tango
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

2. La Muerte del ángel, tango (from Ángel series)
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

3. Oblivion, tango
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

4. Escualo, tango
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

5. Invierno porteño, tango (incl. in Cuatro estaciones porteñas [The Four Seasons])
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

6. Otoño porteño, tango (incl. in Cuatro estaciones porteñas [The Four Seasons])
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

7. Tangata, tango
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

8. Primavera porteña, tango (incl. in Cuatro estaciones porteñas [The Four Seasons])
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

9. Verano porteño, tango (incl. in Cuatro estaciones porteñas [The Four Seasons])
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

10. Libertango, tango
Composed by Astor Piazzolla
Performed by Anahi Carfi

Tracks:

La Calle 92
Tango-Etudes 1-3
Chiquilin de Bachin
Rio Sena
Tango-Etudes 4-6
Violoncelles, Vibrez!
Milonga sin Palabras
Tracing Astor
All In the Past (Remembering Oskar Strock)

Customer Reviews:

Cannot imagine rewarding less.......2005-03-03

The Baltic group, Kremerat Baltica (from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia) is a group of young musicians brought together by Gidon Kremer, Their range of performance is impressive- Vivaldi to Piazzolla. In a sense the latter is more difficult than the former not only for the instrumental complexity but also for the wide range of emotions required. Neither is necessariy "better" but then comparing them is like apples and organes.

In this case, they have taken Pizzolla and transformed the music into another creation that is simultaneously sultry, prickly, brilliant and edgy. The arrangements are stunning, from the five arrangements by Leonid Desyatnikov to the six Etudes Tango arranged by Gidon Kremer. The individual instruments and the sounds of the street (whistles, cracks, pops, squeal of the string, etc) merge perfectly with the nervousness of the music.

The Etudes, by the way, are violin solos in the Argentinian style - lots of bowing, dipping and "sharping". Whoever is on the bandoneon (I could find no mention) deserves an honorable mention as does Desyatnikov for the luscious "Rio Sena" arrangement and his own composition, "Tracing Astor", an eerie salute to the evolution of the Tango from backstreet song to complex, classical music of the first degree. George Pelecis composed the final work, "All in the Past", a sumptous homage to the master in the form of a reverie.

Maybe I'm too critical.......2002-09-08

But I was a little disappointed in this CD. I kept wishing Stephen Grapelli were playing it. It seemed too academic / careful rythym-wise; it had none of the insouciance (sic?) that the music seems to be asking for.

As a violinist, I found his bow control to be a little on the 'mere-human' side (mine is so lousy, I'm probably over-sensitive to the problem). He seemed to be bouncing where he didn't want to, and there was a little noise where he was changing strings at times. It must be difficult stuff.

Kremer /Piazzolla -- a stunning addition to the cycle!!!.......2001-06-06

Tracing Astor: Gidon Kremer plays Astor Piazzolla (Nonesuch 79601-2) is the latest and perhaps the most brilliant recording in Gidon Kremer's breathtaking traversal of Astor Piazzolla's oeuvre. This disc catches the listener by the throat from the first track to the last. Kremer performs six spectacular solo Tango-Etudes, originally recorded in 1996 concurrently with the first released disc, Homage a Piazzolla (Nonesuch 79407-2). All but two of the other tracks were recorded in 1999 and consist of chamber transcriptions by Leonid Desyatnikov performed by Kremer and members of the Kremerata Baltica. The remaining tracks were recorded in 2000 and 2001. The former a composition by Giovanni Sollima, a young (b.1962) Sicilian cellist and composer, is a riveting duo for two cellos. The last track is a kind of encore. All in the Past, by Latvian composer Georgs Pelecis (b.1947), is a tribute to Oskar Strock, the Latvian-Jewish Tango-King -- a poignant conclusion to a disc that is a must for any aficionado of Kremer and his beloved Piazzolla.