Astor Piazzolla (1921 – 1992) was a twentieth century
composer who combined the elements of traditional tango, jazz and classical
music to create a distinctive style that is unmistakable.
We will get a fair sampling of his beautiful
music at the Toot and Twang concert on April 27 when Phil Weaver and Rosa
Richardson play two pieces from Piazzolla’s Histoire de Tango, originally
written for flute and guitar, and then Libertango arranged for flute and
guitar. As Phil Weaver indicates in his
notes for the program, the selections will nicely demonstrate Piazzolla’s
energetic and percussive rhythms as well as his emotional and sometimes
haunting melodies.
You will not want to miss the concert! It is this Sunday, April 27th at 4:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, AL The concert is free and a light reception will follow.
Piazzolla was born in Argentina, but then moved at the age
of 4 with his Italian immigrant parents to Greenwich Village in New York. His father bought him a bandoneon that he
found in a pawn shop, and Astor began playing a wide range of music inspired by
the many recordings that this father played for him. The bandoneon, Piazzolla’s signature
instrument for his entire life, is similar to an accordion. It was
invented in Germany in the 1800’s by Heinrich Band to serve as a compact
organ for religious music in small churches.
German and Italian sailors found it especially convenient to take on
board ship, and it migrated with them to South America, where it became an
essential part of Argentinian tango ensembles.
Here is a beautiful video
recording of Piazzolla performing the bandoneon in a live 1986 performance in Utrecht.
Astor’s love for traditional tango and classical music
developed rapidly. He composed his first
tango at 11, then started classical piano lessons at 12 in New York with
Hungarian Pianist Bela Wilda, a student of Rachmaninoff. His skill on the bandoneon was recognized by
tango composer Carlos Gardel who invited 13 year old Astor to joint him on tour. Fortunately his father did not grant him
permission to leave home, since Gardel and his group were killed in a plane
crash soon afterwards. Piazzolla later
joked that if his father had not been so wise, he would be playing harp,
instead of the bandoneon.
Piazzola lived in New York and Italy with his family until
at 17 when he moved to Buenos Aires where he made a living playing bandoneon in
tango orchestras. At this time he met
Artur Rubenstein who encouraged him to study with the Argentinian composer Ginastera. Piazzolla continued to perform and arrange
for tango orchestras through the 1940’s and early 1950’s, when he decided to give
up tango and began studying Stravinsky, Bartok and Ravel. It was over the next few years that Piazzolla
began to develop a distinct style of his own.
In 1953 he won the Savitsky composition award in Buenos Aires after a
performance of his work for bandoneon and orchestra, an unusual work that led to
fighting in the audience. The award
included a grant to study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, who immediately
realized his talent and encouraged him to never leave the tango.
Back in Argentina Piazzola continued to compose by working
with small groups, quintets and octets, and composing essentially instrumental
tangos that combined traditional elements of the tango with jazz and chamber
music. This he called the Nuevo Tango. It continued to be too avante guarde for
Argentina, but became more widely appreciated in Europe and North America.
Over the next 30 years he traveled with a number of small groups
that he organized and conducted to showcase his music, including Conjunto 9,
the first Quintet (1960), Conjunto Electronico, and the second Quintet
(1978). Many recordings were made during
this time, including the famous recording with his Quintet at the Montreal
International Jazz Festival in 1984 and the New York Central Park concert in
1987 with vibraphonist Gary Burton. The
Utrect video from 1986 is with the Nuevo Tango Quintet, including some
beautiful playing by violinist Fernando Suarez Paz, first violinist for the
Buenos Aires Philharmonic.
Piazzolla wrote on the order of 3000 pieces. His music has been embraced by a large number
of musicians, ranging from jazz artists such as Al Dimeola to classical
performers including Gidon Kremer. The impeccable
technique of Kremer and his friends in his “Hommage a Piazzolla” CD is a real
treat.
When a six-year old girl was once asked “How do you like
this music?” she responded “This music
comes from angels”. Who could ask for
more?
“Anything that interrupts music, I hate.” - Astor Piazzolla between songs at the
Central Park Concert.
--- Submitted by John Shriver for Music at Messiah Classical Concert Series
