Richard Galliano

This blog has featured several artists who have played significant roles in spreading the music of Astor Piazzolla. We add another one today: Richard Galliano. According to the Azzi/Collier book Le Grand Tango, in the mid-70's, Piazzolla went back stage at the Olympia in Paris to congratulate a young French accordionist on his playing. That accordionist was Richard Galliano and Richard and his wife, Giselle, went on to become good friends with Piazzolla and his wife, Laura. A close friendship continued for the rest of Piazzolla's life. Galliano celebrated that relationship in his composition Laura and Astor which first appeared on his 1991 release, New Musette. The Galliano website contains an interesting photo and signed score which illustrate the closeness of the relationship.

Libertango, the composition featured in today's video was first recorded by Galliano in 1995 on the album, Laurita, and has appeared on six other of the 37 albums listed in his official discography. Sixteen of those albums contain at least one Piazzolla composition and three are devoted almost entirely to Piazzolla. One is of particular importance to collector's of Piazzolla's music and that is his 2003 tribute album, Piazzolla Forever (also available as a live performance DVD). Galliano is clearly a fan of Piazzolla and no contemporary view of Piazzolla's music is complete without consideration of Galliano's performance of the music.

If the video does not appear below, click here.



To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.