Graciela Oscura

This blog is normally reserved for performance videos rather than for recorded music accompanied by photos or video montages. However, today's video features an obscure Piazzolla composition which is so rarely performed that I will make an exception. The piece is Graciela oscura and it is performed in today's video by Miguel Saravia from a 1968 album titled Un rostro en la ciudad.

Graciela oscura was written as a theme song for Daniel Tinayre's 1964 movie, Extraña ternura, but the remainder of the music for the soundtrack was written by Lucio Milena. A poem by Ulises Petit de Murat, an Argentine poet and prolific screenwriter, provided the lyrics which can be found in the comments section of the YouTube video (click more info to see them). The original was performed by the Piazzolla quintet and sung by Egle Martin who was, at the time, romantically involved with Piazzolla. Ms. Martin was the intended star of the operita, Maria de Buenos Aires, but the relationship ended badly when Ms. Martin returned to her husband and Amelita Baltar was eventually granted the lead role (and became the romantic replacement for Ms. Martin).

Piazzolla and Ms. Martin did record Graciela Oscura on a rare 1967 LP titled Astor Piazzolla - Egle Martin which is now only available on the Japanese reissue Piazzolla Para Coleccionistas. Until that version makes it to YouTube, today's video may provide the only readily available opportunity to hear this piece.

If the video does not appear below, click here.



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