Libertango - Maresch-Johns-Konzert

The song is definitely Libertango, there are definitely two pianos, but I am not absolutely sure how many pianists there are. I count eleven, but there might be more .. or, there might be less. It is one of the more unusual presentations of Libertango I have seen as pianists come and go throughout the piece.

The event is the 2008, Maresch-Johns concert at the Kunstuniversität Graz in Graz, Austria. This concert series was created in 2000 to honor the memory of pianist and staff member at the University, Barbara Maresch. In 2006, following the untimely death of Klaus Johns, a pianist and tango enthusiast who was a stalwart of the Maresch series, the concerts became the Maresch-Johns-Konzert. The concerts are not your standard piano recital - they are marked by spontaneity and interaction and a wide variety of music, but all focused on the piano. Proceeds from the concerts go to charity.

The unusual jazz arrangement of Libertango in today's video is the work of Uli Rennert - the second pianist you see in the video, the one who hits the piano strings with his hand. I cannot identify the other pianists for sure but a related video of the same arrangement, done in the same rotating pianist style include Rennert and eight other pianists: Almira Emiri, Aris Feslikidis, Zoltan Füzessery, Simona Solce, Claudia Micheletti, Bernd Ludescher, Andreas Woyke, and Helmut Iberer. These same pianists are presumed to be in today's video but by my count, there were two other pianists who joined in - perhaps spontaneously. I have no idea who they are. Perhaps a reader can identify them and add a comment. Such surprises are part of the charm of the Maresch-Johns-Konzert.

The music is a treat. All the pianists are excellent and the transitions were all skillfully done. If this is an example of the quality and character of the Maresch-Johns-Konzert series, the Graz audience is to be envied.

If the video does not appear below, click here.



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

Follow Piazzolla on Video on Twitter.