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Rating: "And at the entrance of the cinema/ the owner tells me/ - Here, I am the music/ go away beggar go go.../ with a dynamic fury/ as if she were a goat/ kicking ugly shrew/ with her feet on the bandoneon/ Bandoneon, old lion, bite it!"
This scene, recalled by Paolo Conte in his "Il Regno Del Tango", was likely not rare during the heroic times when tango was taking its first steps, about a century ago. At that time, a "tanguero encantador" could barely earn a living playing "six days no and one yes" in these dubious venues or directly in the brothels surrounding the port of Buenos Aires. When Astor Piazzolla was born in 1921, tango had already emerged from this kind of limbo. In fact, the first signs of stardom were already appearing, with Carlos Gardel as the frontrunner. But it was still far from imaginable that a tango composer would be included (and not infrequently) in classical music concerts, or that an internationally renowned violinist like Uto Ughi would choose "Oblivion" for an encore (heard with my own ears) capable of bringing the house down, with the violin crying like a bandoneon. Or finally, that a prestigious jazz musician like Richard Galliano would explore the full potential of the accordion sound on albums like "Blow Up", which not coincidentally also includes two Piazzolla tangos. Piazzolla was not just a virtuoso of the bandoneon (a version of the accordion very popular in Argentina) but also had, as those in the know say, "a certain background", meaning he had worked hard in Europe studying composition and orchestral conducting. Although his classical works are unknown (it's the fate of classical music), many of his tangos have entered the public domain. However, they are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to dance to, even according to the most skilled dancers. Yet, there remains the great pleasure of listening, which has become deeper since Piazzolla's idea (in the '60s) of founding the Quintet that plays on this record: piano, violin, guitar, and double bass, in addition to his bandoneon. It is an almost chamber music formation, perfectly balanced, with guitar and double bass forming a rhythmic base, the piano alternating clear solos with dialogues of Schubertian delicacy with the main instrument, the bandoneon, but not always. In the more lyrical themes, it is not uncommon for the violin to take the lead role, with Piazzolla supporting his excellent right-hand man, Fernando Suarez Paz.
In 1983, this Quintet ended up in Lugano, a small city but a true hub of the musical world, enough to warrant the presence of one of the best correspondents of this site. The Swiss Italian Radio didn't miss the event and recorded live (perfectly) this splendid testament to the technical level now reached by the old Astor and his musicians. The pianistic introduction of "Adios Nonino", which opens the album, with its mighty cascades of notes, raises some doubts: is this Piazzolla or Brahms? Then the bandoneon peeks in, almost shyly, and everything moves towards normality. However, the virtuoso pianist must be mentioned, both for his skill and for his name, Pablo Ziegler, a perfect synthesis, very Argentine, of Latin and German.
Other highlights of this concert include moments where tango becomes impressionist: the bandoneon flicks in "Escualo", which truly evoke the sudden movements of a shark, the caution with which "Lunfardo" begins, reminiscent of the wary steps of an unfortunate individual crossing a bad neighborhood (of Buenos Aires, of course), the "del Angel" suite ("Milonga, Death, and Resurrection of the Angel"), a genuine and moving "sacred tango". The famous "Libertango" cannot be missed, now redone in all sorts of versions, from the chic interpretation by diva Grace Jones (by the way, whatever happened to her?) to the trivial, ballroom version of the Vecchia Romagna commercial, which is managing the feat of making it almost hateful. Also because there is always an idiot who, upon hearing the first notes, exclaims "Oh nice, the Vecchia Romagna music".
And so, as Paolo Conte says, go bandoneon, old lion, bite it! Become a pit bull and bite it in the calves, please, do it for me.
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