Piazzolla: Tango Revolucionario

It's hard to believe now that Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla at one time tried to distance himself from his association with the tango and that the genre itself was looked down upon. Thanks to mentor Nadia Boulanger, Piazzolla not only came to embrace the tango, but went on to completely revolutionize the genre. He infused it with elements from other popular musical idioms, wrote for everything from screen to concert hall, and enhanced the repertoire of a great many instrumental combinations. This Pavane Records album, Piazzolla: Tango Revolucionario, juxtaposes his colorful Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with an assortment of contrasting tangos transcribed for piano trio by José Bragato. Rather than putting the Four Seasons movements together, they are interspersed among the other tangos, a decision that yields a surprisingly well-balanced, nicely flowing program. Performing here is the Trio Carlo Van Neste, a Belgian ensemble whose playing of some standard repertoire borders on over-the-top. Here, though, the highly impassioned playing matches beautifully with the sultry, smoky writing of the Argentine master. It offers listeners an engaging range of colors and styles, from lush and suave to aggressive and gritty. Balance between the three members allows individual lines to be heard throughout, but fluidly alternates to allow the melody line to rise above. Intonation is occasionally spotty and articulation isn't always precisely aligned, but the overall impact this recording makes is quite favorable. ~Mike D. Brownell, Rovi