Del Diablo y del Angel

Anyone who has spent time with the work of Astor Piazzolla knows that the forces of good and evil were two of his primary obsessions. For Piazzolla, it was not always clear as to which was which; he scattered these thematically oriented compositions like code across his scores. The renowned tango group Mi Loco Tango looks closely at this phenomenon on this gorgeous-sounding recording from Zama. They have taken two cycles that Piazzolla composed, one each for the angel and the devil, and juxtaposed them with other compositions of his as a way of showing his paradoxical nature. Mi Loco Tango is comprised of pianist Judith Herrman, violinist Irina Bunn (both from Germany), French-German double bassist Gregor Praml, and Russian Vassily Dück on the bayan (a chromatic button accordion). The set is introduced by a non-Piazzolla composition entitled "Adios Nonino," written by Albert Mompellio after an arrangement for four accordions by Richard Galliano. It is a loving, sometimes fiery, elegiac piece that is more than fitting for this album before Mi Loco Tango goes forth with “Introduccion al Angel,” a composition that begins somberly, with traditional tango rhythms until the halfway point where the drama begins to show itself—like the angel emerging; spreading its wings. This is followed by “Milonga del Angel." It's the most beautiful work here with its lilting, somber, romantic textures, followed by “Muerte del Angel” and “Resurreccion del Angel.” These two works show how lusty and tempestuous one of God’s celestials can be. The levels of dissonance in them nearly reaches critical mass, but by contrast offer almost unbearably beautiful lyric and harmonic symmetries that create a tension that seduces the listener as well. The middle of the album contains the dramatic, “El Tango,” with lyrics written by Jorge Luis Borges, translated into German, and delivered by Willy Praml. The spare and mournful “Mumuki” follows and sets the stage for the entrance of the devil. Like “Milonga del Angel,” it's haunting and exquisite; Bunn’s violin brings the listener close to tears.

While the devil is introduced with fierce dissonance in “Tango del Diablo,” via violin, piano and bayan all playing intense contrapuntal chords very percussively, it begins to emerge as a fiery, quick-moving tune: Bunn’s violin adds the fierce element of desire to the bayan, and becomes a thing of appealing — if harrowing — romantic zeal; this is continued as pure sensuality with over arcing melodies in “Romance del Diablo.” Here the interplay between Bunn and Dück is sublime in both engagement and restraint. “Vayamos del Diablo” is almost a coda to “Tango del Diablo,” but its melody is more pronounced despite its brevity. The set ends with the “Contrabajismo,” that is among the most musically adventurous pieces Piazzolla composed, and “Casapueblo,” which is four minutes of ghostly pianism by Hermann and Bunn with bass and bayan in hushed support. In sum, this is one of the most rewarding, musically astute yet provocative recordings of Piazzolla’s music to be released since his death.