This set offers a really fine cross-section of twentieth century
Argentinean tango music. The first CD was recorded in the studio; the second CD
seems to have been recorded live as it contains audience applause.
Astor Piazzolla and the word
‘tango’ go together like strawberries and cream. Basing all his large output of
works on the tango it is no surprise that the music of Piazzolla takes
centre-stage here. Ten of his works are included. I have been fortunate
to have recently reviewed two previous discs of music by Piazzolla, so from
those reviews I shall re-use some of his biographical details and a short
explanation of the origin of the tango.
The origin of the tango has not been answered with a
definitive connection and remains an enigma. Although musical historians
disagree as to its exact origins it is generally accepted that the tango is
borrowed from many places and cultures. This is all part of the mystery and
seduction of the dance. Its image is of unashamedly sensuality, epitomising the
glamour and elegance of high society: women wearing glittering evening dresses,
men wearing tuxedos with tails in velvet-walled concert halls and the
soft-cushioned drawing room. However the tango most likely evolved in society’s
urban underclass among the seedy bars and brothels of the immigrant-infused
Argentine seaports of Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
By 1913 the tango had developed to become the hottest
craze in Paris, heralding ‘Tangomania’. The 1940s spawned the ‘Golden Age of
Tango’, as great composers, lyricists, singers and dancers achieved
international reputations and laid the foundations for the modern-day tango
form. In the late fifties the music of Buenos Aires took a radical turn, as the
youth culture of the country demanded a music more relevant to their world.
Musicians such as Astor Piazzolla responded with the edgier modern tango, or tango
nuevo, that expanded the boundaries of the primarily vocal music then
popular throughout the world. It also was a return to the organic roots of the
music, a grittier style conceived in the bordellos and more suited to the
pavements rather than the salon in the chaotic tableau of Buenos Aires life.
The tango can vary in tempo and mood. It can be vocal
as well as instrumental, and can entail improvisation on its harmonic pattern
as in Jazz. A typical tango ensemble/orchestra may consist of a violin or two,
perhaps a piano, a double bass or cello, and the bandoneón. Any augmentation of
players is possible and typically instruments such as the clarinet, drum,
trumpet can also be included in the ensemble. Since the late 1930s it has been
common to include singers as part of the ensemble. It is however the bandoneón
that principally gives the tango ensemble its characteristic tone colour. This
instrument has keyboards on each of its two sides and between them is the
bellow. Different sound effects can be created by pushing and pulling the
bellow. Incidentally, the bandoneón, actually originated in Germany and is a
close relative to the accordion.
On this release Tango Dorado use two bandoneóns, with
two violins, piano, jazz guitar and double-bass. There is a male and female
vocalist in some of the tracks and the sound of dancers can be heard too. On a
personal note I did not like the inclusion of the jazz guitar in the
arrangements; its dominance, together with the use of a piano, tends to make
the sound too reminiscent of the inane background music played in 1960s and
1970s cocktail bars. The arrangement of the opening section of Piazzolla’s Milonga
del Angel is a good example of both the distinctiveness and the
intrusiveness of the jazz guitar.
World famous classical guitarist Andrès Segovia
(1893-1987) is reported to have stated about the tango, “what mysterious music
and what exceptional poetry”. The tango’s popularity and status has fluctuated
greatly over the years. However thanks primarily to the music of the
classically-trained Piazzolla, the tango is enjoying another major
international renaissance and is currently extremely fashionable throughout
Europe. There is hardly a week that goes by without a new tango recording being
released.
Piazzolla based virtually all of his
prolific output on the tango, achieving towering artistic heights and garnering
great critical acclaim. Born
in Argentina in 1921, he was four when he and his family emigrated to New York
City returning in his fifteenth year. How inspired was his father’s decision to
purchase the eight year old Astor a second-hand bandoneón from a pawn shop. Who
was to know that he would become without doubt the most renowned tango musician
and most performed tango composer in the world.
Adios Nonino is the Piazzolla work that is most likely to be
encountered. At over eight minutes it is a substantial score and displays the
composer at his finest for sheer invention and heady atmosphere and also at his
most varied. Listening to Piazzolla’s Balada para un loco, with the
expressive vocal from Claudia Copier, one can imagine being in a night club bar
in Buenos Aires. The jerky and infectious rhythms of Federico’s Saludos makes it difficult for one to sit still. La Cumparsita by Matos
Rodriguez is the most performed tango of all time and is provided here in two
versions. La Cumparsita is for me the quintessential tango work; almost
like a soundtrack for the dance floor. I can easily imagine two dancers in
intimate embrace, moving seductively across the floor. The romantic yearning of
the vocal work from Richard Prada on Absurdo
by H, and V. Exposito is memorable. Other
highlights include Piazzolla’s Zum and Tangata and Bardi’s Gallo
Ciego, all of which go some way to demonstrate the mystery of tango.
The Brilliant Classics label have unfortunately let
themselves down, yet again, with appalling booklet notes. The brief texts are
written in what seems to be Dutch without any English translations. There are
several annotation mistakes as well. Furthermore I have yet to receive a
Brilliant Classics set that has not had part of the jewel case damaged.
It is difficult to make relative comparisons between
the merits of various tango recordings as they vary greatly in
terms of musical transcription, the chosen instrumentation, whether
singers are utilised etc. Tango Dorado play with an abundance
of heart and soul and with the true spirit of the Tango. A fine
release that will provide considerable pleasure.
Michael Cookson
Tango Dorado/Christiaan
van Hemert (bandoneón)
