Piazzólla: Histoire du Tango

It was in December 1998 that Cécile Daroux recorded this disc, which has since become a benchmark both for flute aficionados and in the Piazzolla discography. Accompanied by Pablo Márquez and a 100% Argentinian supporting cast, the French flautist – who died sadly young in 2011 – provides an exemplary overview of the great Astor Piazzolla's output, in which the tango is omnipresent. A must!

This title was released for the first time in 1999.

In a short space of time Augustin Hadelich has become one of the most respected and admired violinists of his generation. Two critically acclaimed and Billboard Classical Chart-topping releases for Avie, a string of major debuts with the likes of the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco, St. Louis and National Symphony Orchestras, and the BBC Philharmonic, multiple awards including an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Butoni Trust Award, have resulted in major media coverage in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Los

Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and classical-music.com, among many others, and an ever-widening and adoring fan base.

On 'Histoire du Tango', Augustin conjures a dark and sultry night of fiery, hot-blooded dancing. Partnered by award-winning Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas, Augustin traces the history of Argentina's national dance in Piazzolla's title track, stirs up folk, gypsy and flamenco dances which inspired Falla's Popular Spanish Songs, and tosses off a fusillade of pyrotechnics in works by the pinnacles of 19th-century violin performance, Paganini and Sarasate.

Critical acclaim for Augustin Hadelich:

"Hand in hand with the intelligence of the programming go wondrous playing of the violinist Augustin Hadelich ...exceptionally compelling performances...a disc that cannot be recommended highly enough." - Gramophone Editor's Choice (on Echoes of Paris, AV2216)

"If a layer of surface noise were added to Augustin Hadelich's recent solo-violin recording on the Avie label, you might think you were hearing a virtuoso out of the Golden Age." - The New Yorker

"An exacting focus, an unerring dramatic sense and a rich, beautiful tone...an easygoing but winning virtuosity." - The New York Times (on Flying Solo, AV2180)

"Impressive - intonation dead-on, with a luscious tone and an Old World grace that you don't hear very much from young violinists anymore." - Los Angeles Times

Born in Argentina in 1921, Ástor Piazzolla grew up in New York before eventually returning to his homeland in 1955. One of the finest composers to have emerged from South America, he is best remembered today for his development of the tango – a product of the working-class suburbs of Buenos Aires, and a dance whose rhythm Piazzolla combined with his classical training as well as American jazz influences to achieve a highly personal style.

Piazzolla’s output is dominated by chamber music, and in this fascinating 2CD collection we encounter some of his most famous works within the genre. Effectively tracing the Argentinian’s career, the compilation contains such early gems as Tres Piezas Breves, a late-1940s composition documenting his attempt as a serious composer, as well as the renowned Adiós Nonino of 1959 that was responsible for raising Piazzolla’s reputation both at home and abroad. A range of pieces from the 1970s and 1980s also feature, many of which detail instrumentation the composer hadn’t tackled before – Histoire du Tango, for example, matched the flute and guitar, and its four movements equate to a musical microcosm in tracing the evolution of the tango.

By the time Piazzolla came to write Five Tango Sensations (1989), he was attracting the attention of internationally renowned musicians. Composed for the progressive Kronos Quartet, the late work shows just how much his style had advanced through its liberal use of the once-favoured 3+3+2 rhythmic cells, complex harmonies and virtuosic display.

Despite this shift, however, Piazzolla never lost sight of the sensual, despairing emotion of the tango – an emotion that is the essence of this wonderful assortment of works, inspiringly performed by the Interensemble Padova.

Recorded in 1996

Third dive of the excellent Astoria ensemble into the world of Piazzolla, this new Fuga Libera CD gathers different compositions of the tango nuevo master around a masterpiece: Histoire du Tango. This work was especially written for the international Guitar Festival in Liège and performed for the first time by flautist Marc Grauwels. The latter is the special guest on this disc, bringing his solid gold flute sonorities to Christophe Delporte’s ensemble.

This album brings together an engaging selection of pieces for solo clarinet and clarinet ensembles of various sizes.

Argentina is tango and tango is Piazzolla. Maiberg and Clerch had a surprise success with Classica Cubana (MDG9101536) which earned them an Echo Klassic prize. Now they turn their attention to Argentina. Together with the alto Francisca Beaumont and Guido Scheifen playing cello, they display Piazzolla’s works in a new light.