They are almost a cappella. The harmony is close, the voices smooth - a tango version of Manhattan Transfer - but there is guitar and bass accompaniment which officially moves the group out of the chapel. The group is Flores Negras and they sing Milonga de la Anunciación in today's featured video.
Milonga de la Anunciación is the penultimate song in the Piazzolla/Ferrer operita, Maria de Buenos Aires. Maria has died by this point in the plot and the song is sung by Maria's Shadow in response to being told that she is going to give birth to a child (bizarrely, three marionettes take the usual annunciation role of Angel Gabriel here). Ferrer's poetry rests easily in the ear but the meaning of the lyrics, which you can find here, are hidden under layers of symbolism and remain a mystery to me. The melody is more familiar as that of Yo soy Maria but that is a story for a later blog.
Flores Negras existed as a group from 1995 to 2000 with members Cecilia Bonardi, Alejandra Cañoni, Laura Esses, and Sara Galoppo. There was a brief reunion of the group in 2007 with Diana Molina replacing Galoppo. To my experience, they remain unique for the close harmony interpretations of a variety of tango standards. Clearly they are all good singers but their sound is largely due to the arrangements and musical leadership provided by the composer and pianist, Oscar Laiguera. While Milonga de la Anunciación is my favorite of their performances, you can view six others on their YouTube channel. Even better would be to find a copy of their 1999 CD, Flores Negras: Cuatro Voces en Tango, which contains their interpretation of three other Piazzolla works. Their version of Milonga de la Anunciación is very musical and very enjoyable, but if you are more interested in what it sounded like in Piazzolla's original production, you can find it in disk two of the Trova edition of Maria de Buenos Aires or as a close facsimile in this video from a recent Pablo Zinger production of the operita.
If the video does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Oblivion - Cristal Baschet
This blog has a long history of covering Libertango played on unusual instruments. Today's featured video is not Libertango but it does include an unusual instrument - the Cristal Baschet. The song is Piazzolla's second most frequently performed composition, Oblivion, from the movie Enrico IV.
The performance is by the Ensemble Hope at the 2011 edition of the Nuits de Nacre accordion festival held in Tulle, France. The accordionist in the video is Sébastien Farge, a master of the French musette sound, who provides a gentle swing to his role in the video. The dominant sound at the opening is from the cimbalom (hammer dulcimer) played by Veronika Adamicova. But if you listen to the bass sounds at the opening you will hear the real star of the video the bass Cristal Baschet played by Marc Antoine Millon who is joined on a "standard" Cristal Baschet by Frédéric Bousquet, in whose workshop the Cristal Baschets are built.
Cristal Baschets were developed by the brothers Bernard and François Baschet. from work in sound sculptures they began in 1952. The instruments consist of tuned glass rods which are stroked with damp fingers producing tones in the same way the wet rims of crystal wine goblets produce sound in a glass harp. The Baschet's invented a way to amplify the relatively soft sounds of the rods through sculpted megaphones of plastic or sheet metal which allow the instruments to compete sonically with other instruments. There are not too many Cristal Baschets in existence - the Bousquet Workshop website suggests that approximately fifty of the instruments have been made. We are fortunate to be able to hear Piazzolla played on such a rare instrument. In addition to the Cristals, the Bousquet Workshop also produces a number of other tuned, percussive sound sculpture instruments invented by the Baschets. You can hear the sounds of these many instruments on their excellent Structures Sonores website.
The ethereal tones of the Cristal Baschet are a good match for the mellow sounds of Oblivion.
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.
The performance is by the Ensemble Hope at the 2011 edition of the Nuits de Nacre accordion festival held in Tulle, France. The accordionist in the video is Sébastien Farge, a master of the French musette sound, who provides a gentle swing to his role in the video. The dominant sound at the opening is from the cimbalom (hammer dulcimer) played by Veronika Adamicova. But if you listen to the bass sounds at the opening you will hear the real star of the video the bass Cristal Baschet played by Marc Antoine Millon who is joined on a "standard" Cristal Baschet by Frédéric Bousquet, in whose workshop the Cristal Baschets are built.
Cristal Baschets were developed by the brothers Bernard and François Baschet. from work in sound sculptures they began in 1952. The instruments consist of tuned glass rods which are stroked with damp fingers producing tones in the same way the wet rims of crystal wine goblets produce sound in a glass harp. The Baschet's invented a way to amplify the relatively soft sounds of the rods through sculpted megaphones of plastic or sheet metal which allow the instruments to compete sonically with other instruments. There are not too many Cristal Baschets in existence - the Bousquet Workshop website suggests that approximately fifty of the instruments have been made. We are fortunate to be able to hear Piazzolla played on such a rare instrument. In addition to the Cristals, the Bousquet Workshop also produces a number of other tuned, percussive sound sculpture instruments invented by the Baschets. You can hear the sounds of these many instruments on their excellent Structures Sonores website.
The ethereal tones of the Cristal Baschet are a good match for the mellow sounds of Oblivion.
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.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Zita - Octeto Electronico
"I failed totally." According to the Azzi/Collier book, Le Grand Tango, that was Piazzolla's own assessment of his electronified octets of the late 1970's. I am not so sure. You may judge for yourself from today's featured video. This newly available video of the final form of his Octeto Electronico playing Zita from the Troileana Suite shows a disciplined ensemble playing a well arranged and structured work which is consistent with the music we expect from Piazzolla. I prefer the music of the quintet but, to me, the Octeto Electronico seen here is an important and valid part of the evolution of Piazzolla's music.
The Octeto Electronico had two incarnations. In the initial form, created in 1975, Piazzolla utilized two members of his previous Quintet, Antonio Agri on violin and Horacio Malvicino on guitar. He added his son, Daniel, on the electronic synthesizer and four new musicians from the jazz community in Buenos Aires. The music from this octet is best heard on the recording, Piazzolla and el Conjunto Electronico. His objective was to add a modern touch to his nuevo tango. You can see that early Octeto Electronico playing the same piece, Zita, in this video. The music from this first octet is less aggressive than that of the second. If you watch the video of that first octet, you will note the "old generation" - Malvicino, Piazzolla and Agri, a truncated quintet - are in the front of the ensemble backed by the younger generation. It was a relatively small step from the quintet work. Another step away from the Quintet sound occurred in 1976 when Agri left that first octet to return to classical music and was replaced by flutist Arturo Schneider. That octet made a famous appearance in New York City's Carnegie Hall with a concert attended by many of New York's jazz greats - Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond, Chick Corea and Herbie Mann among others. The first octet's final performances were in October of 1976 in Brazil with Luis Ferreyra replacing Schneider on flute.
When an opportunity to tour Europe with the octet appeared, the only members of the first octet available were Piazzolla, son Daniel and flutist Ferreyra. Five new members were recruited from the jazz and rock scene in Buenos Aires and the group did twenty-two concerts at the Olympia theater in Paris. That concert was captured on the French LP, Olympia '77. The sound of this group represents a clear step away from the sound of the Quintet. The group then toured France, Italy, Switzerland and Belgium before disbanding - ending the Octeto Electronico experiment. The video of the group playing Zita comes from a televised performance of the group in Switzerland. To my knowledge, this is the only video which captures a performance of the group.
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.
The Octeto Electronico had two incarnations. In the initial form, created in 1975, Piazzolla utilized two members of his previous Quintet, Antonio Agri on violin and Horacio Malvicino on guitar. He added his son, Daniel, on the electronic synthesizer and four new musicians from the jazz community in Buenos Aires. The music from this octet is best heard on the recording, Piazzolla and el Conjunto Electronico. His objective was to add a modern touch to his nuevo tango. You can see that early Octeto Electronico playing the same piece, Zita, in this video. The music from this first octet is less aggressive than that of the second. If you watch the video of that first octet, you will note the "old generation" - Malvicino, Piazzolla and Agri, a truncated quintet - are in the front of the ensemble backed by the younger generation. It was a relatively small step from the quintet work. Another step away from the Quintet sound occurred in 1976 when Agri left that first octet to return to classical music and was replaced by flutist Arturo Schneider. That octet made a famous appearance in New York City's Carnegie Hall with a concert attended by many of New York's jazz greats - Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond, Chick Corea and Herbie Mann among others. The first octet's final performances were in October of 1976 in Brazil with Luis Ferreyra replacing Schneider on flute.
When an opportunity to tour Europe with the octet appeared, the only members of the first octet available were Piazzolla, son Daniel and flutist Ferreyra. Five new members were recruited from the jazz and rock scene in Buenos Aires and the group did twenty-two concerts at the Olympia theater in Paris. That concert was captured on the French LP, Olympia '77. The sound of this group represents a clear step away from the sound of the Quintet. The group then toured France, Italy, Switzerland and Belgium before disbanding - ending the Octeto Electronico experiment. The video of the group playing Zita comes from a televised performance of the group in Switzerland. To my knowledge, this is the only video which captures a performance of the group.
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.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Edouard Pecourt and Chau Paris
Edouard Pecourt was one of the few people in Paris in 1954 who knew the name of Astor Piazzolla but he did not know that Piazzolla had just arrived in Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger. Pecourt ran a record shop called La Boîte à Disques but more importantly, he was in love with the music of tango and had begun what was to become a lifelong obsession for collecting tango music memorabilia. He had taught himself how to read Spanish and knew of Piazzolla from reading tango magazines imported from Argentina. A mutual friend introduced them which started a close friendship, lasting until Piazzolla's death in 1992. Pecourt was a remarkable man and this interview by Greg Tozian, made shortly before Pecourt's death at the age of 83, is worth reading. It not only details his close relationship with Piazzolla but also gives a sense of the enormous vitality which Pecourt possessed.
Pecourt's collection grew to tens of thousands of items - recordings, video tapes, magazines, scores, posters, photographs - all related to tango. The collection includes what may be the definitive collection of Piazzolla recordings, an enviable collection of Piazzolla concert videos, a set of correspondence between he and Piazzolla and at least one autographed score of the piano cadenza to Adios Nonino. The collection resides today outside of Portland, Oregon where it is curated by his American wife, Jocelyn Howells. Today's first video features a tour of that collection narrated by Pablo Aslan. This blog recently profiled Aslan and his new recording, Piazzolla in Brooklyn. The tour Aslan shares in the video was part of the research he did in preparing that wonderful recording.
Piazzolla immortalized his friendship with Pecourt by dedicating to Edouard and his wife, Chau Paris, a piece he composed while studying in Paris and which he recorded there in 1955 on the album, Sinfonia de Tango. There are a number of versions of Chau Paris on YouTube but the one which I think is the most authentic is the performance by the Orquesta Típica "Central" del CSMA, a group which has been previously profiled in this blog. It is included below as the second video.
If the Pecourt tour video does not appear below, click here.
If the video of Chau Paris does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Follow Piazzolla on Video on Twitter.
Pecourt's collection grew to tens of thousands of items - recordings, video tapes, magazines, scores, posters, photographs - all related to tango. The collection includes what may be the definitive collection of Piazzolla recordings, an enviable collection of Piazzolla concert videos, a set of correspondence between he and Piazzolla and at least one autographed score of the piano cadenza to Adios Nonino. The collection resides today outside of Portland, Oregon where it is curated by his American wife, Jocelyn Howells. Today's first video features a tour of that collection narrated by Pablo Aslan. This blog recently profiled Aslan and his new recording, Piazzolla in Brooklyn. The tour Aslan shares in the video was part of the research he did in preparing that wonderful recording.
Piazzolla immortalized his friendship with Pecourt by dedicating to Edouard and his wife, Chau Paris, a piece he composed while studying in Paris and which he recorded there in 1955 on the album, Sinfonia de Tango. There are a number of versions of Chau Paris on YouTube but the one which I think is the most authentic is the performance by the Orquesta Típica "Central" del CSMA, a group which has been previously profiled in this blog. It is included below as the second video.
If the Pecourt tour video does not appear below, click here.
If the video of Chau Paris does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Follow Piazzolla on Video on Twitter.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Bragatissimo
Bragatissimo is rarely heard Piazzolla. It was recorded by Piazzolla and his Nuevo Octeto in 1963, reportedly in a basement in Uruguay, but released only in a limited edition 7" 33 rpm record. It was never included in subsequent collected works or, to my knowledge, performed again by Piazzolla. I had never heard Piazzolla's version of the work until it appeared this week in a YouTube video which is one of two featured performances in today's blog.
José Bragato, to whom the work is dedicated, was the cellist in that Nuevo Octeto and had a close musical relation with Piazzolla throughout their professional careers. He produced "classical" arrangements for ensembles and orchestras of Piazzolla's work which are still widely played today and most of Piazzolla's handwritten scores passed through his hands on their way to becoming finished musical products. I understand that many of those scores have been placed in a small museum in Mar del Plata by Bragato for the benefit of future generations of musicians. Bragato is an important composer in his own right and someday, hopefully, an enterprising writer will capture the relationship between Bragato and Piazzolla in a book (are you listening Ms. Azzi?).
Bragatissimo was composed in more of a classical than nuevo tango mode although there are hints of classical tango in the mid-section. It opens with a lyrical passage which shows well the musicianship of Bragato but at roughly the two minute mark, a bombastic nuevo classical element enters the work and Bragato, unfortunately, never returns. The contrast is striking. One wonders if Piazzolla is not modeling the two men and their relationship - Bragato the calm, elegant classical musician and Piazzolla, the brash, rule breaking new wave musician. The two meet in the middle but never resolve into a single entity. The lack of resolution is, to me, a weakness in the work but appears to be quite purposefully done.
A second video is included for comparison. It is a chamber orchestra version of Bragatissimo arranged and conducted by Marcel Costas. There is still no resolution but I believe that Costas' arrangement takes a little of the bombastic edge off the work and adds a musicality that is missing in the original. To my ears it is better music. Oscar López Ruiz has recognized Costas as providing "a sensitive interpretation of the Piazzolla feeling" and commented most favorably on the performances captured in Costas' recording La Música de Astor Piazzolla. López Ruiz, it should be noted, was a member of the Nuevo Octeto heard in the original. While the Costas recording does not include Bragatissimo, a video possibly recorded at the same time does include it and is included below.
If the original does not appear below, click here.
If the Marcel Costas version does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Follow Piazzolla on Video on Twitter.
José Bragato, to whom the work is dedicated, was the cellist in that Nuevo Octeto and had a close musical relation with Piazzolla throughout their professional careers. He produced "classical" arrangements for ensembles and orchestras of Piazzolla's work which are still widely played today and most of Piazzolla's handwritten scores passed through his hands on their way to becoming finished musical products. I understand that many of those scores have been placed in a small museum in Mar del Plata by Bragato for the benefit of future generations of musicians. Bragato is an important composer in his own right and someday, hopefully, an enterprising writer will capture the relationship between Bragato and Piazzolla in a book (are you listening Ms. Azzi?).
Bragatissimo was composed in more of a classical than nuevo tango mode although there are hints of classical tango in the mid-section. It opens with a lyrical passage which shows well the musicianship of Bragato but at roughly the two minute mark, a bombastic nuevo classical element enters the work and Bragato, unfortunately, never returns. The contrast is striking. One wonders if Piazzolla is not modeling the two men and their relationship - Bragato the calm, elegant classical musician and Piazzolla, the brash, rule breaking new wave musician. The two meet in the middle but never resolve into a single entity. The lack of resolution is, to me, a weakness in the work but appears to be quite purposefully done.
A second video is included for comparison. It is a chamber orchestra version of Bragatissimo arranged and conducted by Marcel Costas. There is still no resolution but I believe that Costas' arrangement takes a little of the bombastic edge off the work and adds a musicality that is missing in the original. To my ears it is better music. Oscar López Ruiz has recognized Costas as providing "a sensitive interpretation of the Piazzolla feeling" and commented most favorably on the performances captured in Costas' recording La Música de Astor Piazzolla. López Ruiz, it should be noted, was a member of the Nuevo Octeto heard in the original. While the Costas recording does not include Bragatissimo, a video possibly recorded at the same time does include it and is included below.
If the original does not appear below, click here.
If the Marcel Costas version does not appear below, click here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Follow Piazzolla on Video on Twitter.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tango Nuevo Cabaret - Sergei Tumas
Sergei Tumas is a well known tango choreographer and dancer so it was big news when he announced that he was creating a stage production dedicated entirely to the music of Astor Piazzolla. His show was titled Tango Nuevo Cabaret and the public got its first look at it in June, 2009 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. Music was provided by Walter Rios on bandoneon with an Armenian tango group, Cadence Ensemble. The show was successful enough to attract investors into supporting a world tour version of the show.
In October, 2011 that show premiered at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater just across the Hollywood freeway from the more famous Hollywood Bowl. Reviews were mixed and it remains to be seen if the world tour will ensue. Nevertheless, any large scale production based on Piazzolla's music deserves attention from this blog and the recent posting of sixteen videos from that show provides the opportunity. You can find all of those videos on Sergei's YouTube channel.
Quite a lot changed in the move from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to the Ford Amphitheater. Walter Rios is gone, replaced by Peter Soave. And the Cadence Ensemble is replaced by a collection of talented jazz musicians from the Los Angeles area assembled under the name of the Tango Jazz Chamber Orchestra. While Soave is listed as the nominal leader of the group, the videos certainly suggest that it is Miles Mosely, the bassist, who is in charge. I have chosen to feature their performance of Buenos Aires Hora Cero in this blog - not because it is the best of the sixteen but because it is typical of the performances.
And, how were the performances? In a word, terrible. The music is absolutely lifeless. There are moments where things work: for example, Kamasi Washington's introduction to Libertango where the jazz element is unfettered and the vocal performance of Balada para mi muerte by Martin de Leon is superb (note however, it is to recorded accompaniment - the band is not playing). But there are other times where musical disaster appears imminent as in the opening of Primavera Portena. But most of the time it looks like a set of musicians uncomfortably sight reading new scores producing inarticulate, unaccented facsimiles of Piazzolla's music. A little more rehearsal time and a little more guidance from Soave or Rios, both of whom know their way around Piazzolla's music very well, might have saved the day. That day will probably never come again - a world tour seems unlikely to me.
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.
In October, 2011 that show premiered at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater just across the Hollywood freeway from the more famous Hollywood Bowl. Reviews were mixed and it remains to be seen if the world tour will ensue. Nevertheless, any large scale production based on Piazzolla's music deserves attention from this blog and the recent posting of sixteen videos from that show provides the opportunity. You can find all of those videos on Sergei's YouTube channel.
Quite a lot changed in the move from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to the Ford Amphitheater. Walter Rios is gone, replaced by Peter Soave. And the Cadence Ensemble is replaced by a collection of talented jazz musicians from the Los Angeles area assembled under the name of the Tango Jazz Chamber Orchestra. While Soave is listed as the nominal leader of the group, the videos certainly suggest that it is Miles Mosely, the bassist, who is in charge. I have chosen to feature their performance of Buenos Aires Hora Cero in this blog - not because it is the best of the sixteen but because it is typical of the performances.
And, how were the performances? In a word, terrible. The music is absolutely lifeless. There are moments where things work: for example, Kamasi Washington's introduction to Libertango where the jazz element is unfettered and the vocal performance of Balada para mi muerte by Martin de Leon is superb (note however, it is to recorded accompaniment - the band is not playing). But there are other times where musical disaster appears imminent as in the opening of Primavera Portena. But most of the time it looks like a set of musicians uncomfortably sight reading new scores producing inarticulate, unaccented facsimiles of Piazzolla's music. A little more rehearsal time and a little more guidance from Soave or Rios, both of whom know their way around Piazzolla's music very well, might have saved the day. That day will probably never come again - a world tour seems unlikely to me.
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.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Adios Nonino - 1984, Caracas
After sitting in a box for more than twenty years a long forgotten video tape of a full Piazzolla concert has been found and shared this week on YouTube. There are very few videos of full concerts which makes this video of particular interest to Piazzolla fans. Today's featured video of the Quintet's performance of Adios Nonino is just one of the eight posted videos which fully capture the concert.
According to the Azzi/Collier book, Le Grand Tango, Piazzolla's Quintet made a quick tour of Mexico and Central America in the summer of 1984. Vocalist, Raúl Lavié, joined the quintet on the tour (and is featured in four of the videos). While not mentioned in Le Grand Tango, that tour evidently also included a stop in Caracas, Venezuela where today's video was made. The notes with the video suggest it was a brief visit with no time to assemble an audience, to rehearse, or to do a proper sound check (and apparently no time to tune the piano). The video was preserved on a U-Matic tape and is one of the first broadcasts in Venezuela to be recorded in stereo. The quality of the sound is quite good as is most of the video.
Many thanks to "BlackbirdRabbit" for finding and sharing the video.
If the video does not appear below, click here. Links to the other videos from the concert are provided below.
Additional concert videos: Lunfardo/Michelangelo 70, Los Pájaros Perdidos, La Bicicleta Blanca, Balada para mi Muerte, Balada para un Loco, Verano Porteño, and Mumuki.
Full audio of the concert can be downloaded here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Follow Piazzolla on Video on Twitter.
Note added on 23 December, 2011: The poster of this video has added an additional piece of information about the arrangements behind this television performance. Hugo Carregal, an Argentine actor, singer and producer who lived in Venezuela and was very influential at RCTV convinced Piazzolla to fit the performance into a busy schedule. Were it not for Mr. Carregal's efforts, we would not be enjoying this video.
According to the Azzi/Collier book, Le Grand Tango, Piazzolla's Quintet made a quick tour of Mexico and Central America in the summer of 1984. Vocalist, Raúl Lavié, joined the quintet on the tour (and is featured in four of the videos). While not mentioned in Le Grand Tango, that tour evidently also included a stop in Caracas, Venezuela where today's video was made. The notes with the video suggest it was a brief visit with no time to assemble an audience, to rehearse, or to do a proper sound check (and apparently no time to tune the piano). The video was preserved on a U-Matic tape and is one of the first broadcasts in Venezuela to be recorded in stereo. The quality of the sound is quite good as is most of the video.
Many thanks to "BlackbirdRabbit" for finding and sharing the video.
If the video does not appear below, click here. Links to the other videos from the concert are provided below.
Additional concert videos: Lunfardo/Michelangelo 70, Los Pájaros Perdidos, La Bicicleta Blanca, Balada para mi Muerte, Balada para un Loco, Verano Porteño, and Mumuki.
Full audio of the concert can be downloaded here.
To learn more about Piazzolla videos, visit the Piazzolla Video site.
Follow Piazzolla on Video on Twitter.
Note added on 23 December, 2011: The poster of this video has added an additional piece of information about the arrangements behind this television performance. Hugo Carregal, an Argentine actor, singer and producer who lived in Venezuela and was very influential at RCTV convinced Piazzolla to fit the performance into a busy schedule. Were it not for Mr. Carregal's efforts, we would not be enjoying this video.
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