The definitive Saito discography indicates that Piazzolla recorded Milonga del ángel ten times spread across nearly 25 years beginning in 1965. If one just listened to today's video by the Fugata Quintet, one might be convinced it was one of those ten performances. It is very, very close to the Piazzolla originals. The slight timbre differences between the accordion and the bandoneon and perhaps a little less urgency in the middle portions of the piece are the only clues that this is not the real thing. I salute Fugata for their devotion to the authentic Piazzolla. I note there is no music in front of them during the performance - this is something with which classically trained musicians like those in Fugata are usually very uncomfortable. It is a tribute to Fugata that they have internalized the music to this extent and can add their soul to the notes that Piazzolla provided. I believe it is adding to the listeners experience.
Fugata is a new group to me and I believe this is their first appearance on YouTube. Their website is excellent and contains bios of the musicians: Zivorad Nikolic (accordion), Anastasios Mavroudis (violin), Antonis Hatzinikolaou (guitar), Anahit Chaushyan (piano) and James Opstad (double bass). You will also find downloadable mp3's of Milonga del ángel and Primavera Porteñas (they are already on my iPod) and a sample of Concierto para quinteto for listening.
I want to see and hear much more.
If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
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