The caption with the video reads, "questo pezzo mi ha cambiato la vita..." = "this piece changed my life." The piece is Libertango and although I do not understand the context of that caption, I can vouch for the fact that a Piazzolla piece can change your life. You wouldn't be reading this otherwise.
At first glance, the story behind this video seems simple. The key slip and music shelf leaning on the wall behind the pianist and the tuning wrench still in the piano both suggest this piano is in the process of being tuned. Most tuners have a favorite tune they run through the piano before announcing the job is complete. This tuner's favorite appears to be Libertango and he does play a nice version that covers most of the piano. At the end, he seems a little worried about that low "A" - perhaps just a little off?
But I wonder if there is more? The title suggests the tuner and pianist is named Antonio Granozio. The person posting the video is Mario Granozio - a brother perhaps? Is it Mario's piano or did he just join his brother for a visit to a client and video the finale of the tuning process? And who's life changed - Antonio's or Mario's? And then there is the mysterious comment added to the video by Mario one day later, "è indubbio che la classe non è acqua e la semplicita' fa è arte." The web translations of this don't make sense - I need help from an Italian friend.
While I am looking for that friend, please click here if the video does not appear below.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Invierno Porteño - Kenny Drew, Jr.
This blog focuses on performance videos, people performing Piazzolla's music, with occasional exceptions. Today's featured video qualified for one of those exceptions because of the quality and nature of the music in the video. It is a solo piano performance of Invierno Porteño by pianist Kenny Drew, Jr. and it is the best solo piano performance of the piece I have heard. The slide show accompanying the video is interesting - the photos are appropriate and some attention has clearly been paid to the editing but it is the music which is so special.
The performance was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1999. At the time this recording was made, Drew was performing in both the jazz and classical world which I believe shows in some of the decisions he made as he converted a piece written for a five piece nuevo tango ensemble into something for solo piano. It is still unmistakeably jazz - it shows in the chord flow and cadences - but it is highly structured, very well organized and respectful of Piazzolla's original. This is not casual jazz. The original includes some flashy piano parts. The few other higher level piano arrangements take those flashy parts and try to extend their feel through the piece. Drew's approach is entirely different - he leaves out the flashy parts, and creates his own interpretation of the whole work. He is very percussive in parts and flowing in others and there is plenty of flash there for those who need finger fireworks. Invierno Porteño was the last of the "Seasons" written by Piazzolla and the only one of his seasons which contains (at the end) a clear salute to Vivaldi. That Vivaldi-like ending has created so much cheesey, fake-baroque cuteness in others' arrangement that I almost dread for most versions to end. But to my everlasting gratefulness, Drew does not fall into that trap and provides an absolutely sublime end to the piece. To my ears, this is a world-class performance.
You can still purchase the album, 1999 Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, which contains this performance. Kenny Drew, Jr. has many other recordings but only one other, Winter Flower, contains a Piazzolla connection - a piece composed by Drew titled Argentine Rhapsody for Astor Piazzolla. The CD is out of print but I have a used copy on the way to me to check it out. From his current website, I judge he is still actively performing with an upcoming appearance in Zurich and several scheduled in the Tampa, Florida area. I wonder if there is any Piazzolla in his current repertoire? If not, there should be
If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
The performance was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1999. At the time this recording was made, Drew was performing in both the jazz and classical world which I believe shows in some of the decisions he made as he converted a piece written for a five piece nuevo tango ensemble into something for solo piano. It is still unmistakeably jazz - it shows in the chord flow and cadences - but it is highly structured, very well organized and respectful of Piazzolla's original. This is not casual jazz. The original includes some flashy piano parts. The few other higher level piano arrangements take those flashy parts and try to extend their feel through the piece. Drew's approach is entirely different - he leaves out the flashy parts, and creates his own interpretation of the whole work. He is very percussive in parts and flowing in others and there is plenty of flash there for those who need finger fireworks. Invierno Porteño was the last of the "Seasons" written by Piazzolla and the only one of his seasons which contains (at the end) a clear salute to Vivaldi. That Vivaldi-like ending has created so much cheesey, fake-baroque cuteness in others' arrangement that I almost dread for most versions to end. But to my everlasting gratefulness, Drew does not fall into that trap and provides an absolutely sublime end to the piece. To my ears, this is a world-class performance.
You can still purchase the album, 1999 Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, which contains this performance. Kenny Drew, Jr. has many other recordings but only one other, Winter Flower, contains a Piazzolla connection - a piece composed by Drew titled Argentine Rhapsody for Astor Piazzolla. The CD is out of print but I have a used copy on the way to me to check it out. From his current website, I judge he is still actively performing with an upcoming appearance in Zurich and several scheduled in the Tampa, Florida area. I wonder if there is any Piazzolla in his current repertoire? If not, there should be
If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Libertango - A Theremin Version
Like Teflon, the Theremin was invented accidentally. Léon Theremin was developing proximity sensors in a Russian laboratory when he noticed frequency changes related to his proximity to the antenna of the sensor under development. Today's Theremin is but a small step away from that original observation. There are many interesting twists to the spread of the Theremin well documented in the book, Ether Music and Espionage, and the movie, Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey. A fascinating chapter is Theremin's invention of the "Great Seal bug," a covert listening device which collected conversations directly from the Moscow residential office of the U.S. Ambassador to Russia for many years before it was detected.
The Theremin instrument disappeared for a while but was resurrected by electronic music wizard, Robert Moog, and brought back into commercial production. The instrument used in today's featured video appears to be a Moog Etherwave Standard Theremin (yes, you can buy your own through that link). The player in the video is nicknamed Comzow and like many of today's best Thereminists, he is from Japan. His motionless body position does not represent a lack of spirit - rather the necessity to avoid motion which would affect the pitch he is trying to achieve. You will understand this better if you watch Thomas Grillo's video demonstrating how to play the Theremin. The instrument in the teaching video appears to be a Moog Etherwave Pro Theremin.
It is a bit on the bizarre side, but the performance is still musical. If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
The Theremin instrument disappeared for a while but was resurrected by electronic music wizard, Robert Moog, and brought back into commercial production. The instrument used in today's featured video appears to be a Moog Etherwave Standard Theremin (yes, you can buy your own through that link). The player in the video is nicknamed Comzow and like many of today's best Thereminists, he is from Japan. His motionless body position does not represent a lack of spirit - rather the necessity to avoid motion which would affect the pitch he is trying to achieve. You will understand this better if you watch Thomas Grillo's video demonstrating how to play the Theremin. The instrument in the teaching video appears to be a Moog Etherwave Pro Theremin.
It is a bit on the bizarre side, but the performance is still musical. If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Milonga del Ángel - Anna Verkholantseva
It's a match made in heaven: Milonga del ángel and the harp. A graceful and beautiful melody played on the instrument archetypically played by the angels sounds like a good idea. And it is, as demonstrated in today's video of Anna Verkholantseva on the harp. Her playing is fluid and even and her use of rubato adds significantly to the feeling of peace that the music inspires. It surprises me that others have not claimed this piece for harp but my search efforts find no other solo harp interpretations on recordings or on video. Let's hope others give it a try (Ben Melsky, are you reading this?)
Piazzolla composed five "ángels": Milonga del ángel, La muerte del ángel, Resurrección del ángel, Introducción al ángel and Tango del ángel. The first two on the list are consistently in the most frequently performed Piazzolla pieces on YouTube. The first three represent a set often played together in concert by Piazzolla - most famously in a live recording made in Lugano, Switzerland in 1983 which is available in this reissue. The other two are more obscure but still very nice pieces. Ms. Verkholantseva also posted a video of her playing La muerte del ángel. This is a more complex piece than the Milonga and I was skeptical it would work on the harp. However, the way she handles the walking bass with the left hand while executing the complexities of the treble part with her right hand won me over. I encourage you watch that video also.
I do hope Ms. Verkholantseva records the other three angels. Meanwhile, please enjoy the two we have. If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Piazzolla composed five "ángels": Milonga del ángel, La muerte del ángel, Resurrección del ángel, Introducción al ángel and Tango del ángel. The first two on the list are consistently in the most frequently performed Piazzolla pieces on YouTube. The first three represent a set often played together in concert by Piazzolla - most famously in a live recording made in Lugano, Switzerland in 1983 which is available in this reissue. The other two are more obscure but still very nice pieces. Ms. Verkholantseva also posted a video of her playing La muerte del ángel. This is a more complex piece than the Milonga and I was skeptical it would work on the harp. However, the way she handles the walking bass with the left hand while executing the complexities of the treble part with her right hand won me over. I encourage you watch that video also.
I do hope Ms. Verkholantseva records the other three angels. Meanwhile, please enjoy the two we have. If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Piazzolla's Got Talent - Two
Unlikely as it may be, the business acumen of Simon Cowell has pulled Piazzolla into the spotlight once again. This time on the show Talento Argentino - another of Cowell's franchise of XXX's Got Talent series. In a recent blog posting we saw the winner of Poland's Got Talent play Libertango on the accordion. In today's featured video we see three young guitarists playing an original arrangement of Adios Nonino. At the center of the trio is the featured guitarist Leonardo Andersen, to his right is Diego Romero and to his left is Benjamin Ciprian.
The career path of a musician is difficult at best. My experience suggests that musicians are happier than most people but that their happiness does not come from material rewards - many struggle to have their talents recognized and to be compensated in a way that keeps food on the table and petrol in the tank. Got Talent may not be high culture, but it is providing many young artists around the world an opportunity to be noticed.
Although Ciprian is a new name to my small world of Piazzolla Videos, Andersen and Romero are not totally unknown - I have watched their earlier YouTube performances of Libertango and La bicicleta blanca but did not appreciate their talents until viewing today's featured video. The trio's performance of Adios Nonino is balanced, coordinated and respectful of the original. In a non-Piazzolla video, Andersen shows his considerable jazz improvisation skills in a vignette with the remarkable guitarist/singer, Nahuel Pennisi (this is a link to a video which is worth watching).
It is a tortuous path to the winning spot in Talento Argentino but Leo and his friends may be on their way (with a little help from Piazzola). I hope we see more of these guitarists.
If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
The career path of a musician is difficult at best. My experience suggests that musicians are happier than most people but that their happiness does not come from material rewards - many struggle to have their talents recognized and to be compensated in a way that keeps food on the table and petrol in the tank. Got Talent may not be high culture, but it is providing many young artists around the world an opportunity to be noticed.
Although Ciprian is a new name to my small world of Piazzolla Videos, Andersen and Romero are not totally unknown - I have watched their earlier YouTube performances of Libertango and La bicicleta blanca but did not appreciate their talents until viewing today's featured video. The trio's performance of Adios Nonino is balanced, coordinated and respectful of the original. In a non-Piazzolla video, Andersen shows his considerable jazz improvisation skills in a vignette with the remarkable guitarist/singer, Nahuel Pennisi (this is a link to a video which is worth watching).
It is a tortuous path to the winning spot in Talento Argentino but Leo and his friends may be on their way (with a little help from Piazzola). I hope we see more of these guitarists.
If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
November Review of Piazzolla Videos
There were 528 videos of Piazzolla’s music posted on YouTube in the month of November, 2009. 385(73%) of the videos were performance videos featuring live performances. The others were videos which used Piazzolla’s music as a sound track for photo or video montages. I highlighted my journey through these many videos in this blog.
Forty-three percent of the performance videos were in the classical mode, 21% in Nuevo tango, 21% in pop and 15% in jazz.
Here are the most frequently performed pieces this month (Libertango was the most frequently played – 28% of the total; the others follow in order):
1. Libertango
2. Adios Nonino
3. Oblivion
4. La Muerte del ángel
5. Invierno Porteño
6. Milonga del ángel
7. Verano Porteño
8. Histoire du tango – Café 1930
9. Histoire du tango – Bordel 1900
10. Tango Suite
The top three on this list seem to be fairly stable month-to-month but the bottom seven change every month.
The performance videos came from 40 different countries. Argentina posted the most videos: 65. The top ten posting countries are listed in order here:
1. Argentina
2. Italy
3. USA
4. Netherlands
5. Ukraine
6. Brazil
7. Japan
8. Spain
9. Romania
10. Russia
There were nine Piazzolla original performances posted. Two of these were new to YouTube: La Muerte del ángel and Nuevo tango. The others have been previously posted.
Quality of performance varied from excellent to bizarre. My choice for best of the month is the performance by Gary Burton and Piazzolla’s Quintet of La Muerte del ángel.
The choice for most bizarre this month is a video of a man smoking a pipe to the tune of Adios Nonino.
I have put a table with links to all 528 videos as well as some more information on the videos on the November link in my Piazzolla on Video website.
Forty-three percent of the performance videos were in the classical mode, 21% in Nuevo tango, 21% in pop and 15% in jazz.
Here are the most frequently performed pieces this month (Libertango was the most frequently played – 28% of the total; the others follow in order):
1. Libertango
2. Adios Nonino
3. Oblivion
4. La Muerte del ángel
5. Invierno Porteño
6. Milonga del ángel
7. Verano Porteño
8. Histoire du tango – Café 1930
9. Histoire du tango – Bordel 1900
10. Tango Suite
The top three on this list seem to be fairly stable month-to-month but the bottom seven change every month.
The performance videos came from 40 different countries. Argentina posted the most videos: 65. The top ten posting countries are listed in order here:
1. Argentina
2. Italy
3. USA
4. Netherlands
5. Ukraine
6. Brazil
7. Japan
8. Spain
9. Romania
10. Russia
There were nine Piazzolla original performances posted. Two of these were new to YouTube: La Muerte del ángel and Nuevo tango. The others have been previously posted.
Quality of performance varied from excellent to bizarre. My choice for best of the month is the performance by Gary Burton and Piazzolla’s Quintet of La Muerte del ángel.
The choice for most bizarre this month is a video of a man smoking a pipe to the tune of Adios Nonino.
I have put a table with links to all 528 videos as well as some more information on the videos on the November link in my Piazzolla on Video website.
Piazzolla's Got Talent
Susan Boyle has earned the spotlight through her "Britain's Got Talent" win but Piazzolla takes the gold in "Mam Talent" (Poland's version of the "Got Talent" franchise) through the fingers of Marcin Wyrostek playing Libertango in the finals of that contest last night. Even though Marcin's Corazon Quintet was just featured in this blog last week, I will take the unusual step of highlighting the same artist again to celebrate his win. To fully appreciate the range of Mr. Wyrostek's skills, I encourage you to watch one of his earlier performances on the show where J.S. Bach visits the accordion through the fingers of Marcin.
Congratulations, Marcin!
Note the embedded video below has been removed by YouTube to respect the copyright ownership of MamTalent but it can still be seen on the MamTalent website.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Congratulations, Marcin!
Note the embedded video below has been removed by YouTube to respect the copyright ownership of MamTalent but it can still be seen on the MamTalent website.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
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