Adios Nonino - Conjunto 9

A rare treat today - a new (to YouTube, anyway) video of a 1972, original Piazzolla performance of Adios Nonino. The performance is by Piazzolla's Conjunto 9, also know as the Nonet, playing at the Teatro Colon. The arrangement of the piece is one of Piazzolla's most interesting - starting with a violin solo by Antonio Agri backed by the quiet guitar of Oscar López Ruiz, then a cello solo by José Bragato (backed by Lopez-Ruiz), then a lengthy and wonderful solo by López Ruiz. Finally at roughly the four minute mark, drummer José Corriale loudly announces his presence and Piazzolla's bandoneón is finally heard. The next three minutes are full of Sturm und Drang as Piazzolla takes full advantage of the complex musical capability of nine part music. Then at a little over seven minutes, calm returns with a beautiful bandoneón solo - Piazzolla at his very best. I believe it is this solo which inspired the arrangement of Adio Nonino that Carel Kraayenhof made famous at the wedding of Prince Willem Alexander and Maxima Zorreguieta. The solo is followed by a moving duet with Bragato and a fittingly full conclusion. In my view, this video is a treasure. The quiet, beautiful parts more than make up for the bombast which Piazzolla, himself, seems to suggest are "too much" in the interview.

The video is actually a video within a video. Piazzolla is viewing the 1972 video as part of an interview by "Pinky" in what is probably an early 1980's television broadcast. "Pinky" is well known in Argentina but the rest of us will be interested to know that "Pinky" is actually Lidia Elsa Satragno. Once known as Ms. Television because of her ubiquitous presence on television in roles ranging from actress, to news anchor, to variety show host. She reportedly has spent 34,000 hours in front of TV cameras - enough to put her in the Guiness book of records. Later she entered politics and was elected a member of the Cámara de Diputados, the lower house of the Argentine Congress, where she continues to serve today as the oldest member of that body. Interestingly, Ms. Satragno was married to Raúl Lavié during the period in which he was a vocalist for Piazzolla. Further, it has been reported that Ms. Satragno has an original score of Adios Nonino framed and hung on the wall of her house. "Pinky" is not just an interviewer in the video - she was a friend and is an admirer of Piazzolla.

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