Piazzólla: Histoire du Tango: Café 1930

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.

Leading New Zealand musicians Anthony Ferner (flute) and Helen Webby (harp) – both from Christchurch – perform a selection of reflective works for flute and harp, including Dorothea Franchi’s ‘Suite for Flute and Harp’.

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

The programme on this new recording spans nearly 400 years, and brilliantly showcases the many colours and moods that the bassoon is ideally suited to creating. The music ranges from the early Baroque sonata of Böddecker, dating from 1651, through to Saint-Saëns’s witty, elegant late sonata (1921) and Hagen’s remarkable Harlem Nocturne from 1939, featuring the innovative and brilliant combination of Hammond organ, drums, guitar and bassoon! Gubaidulina’s Duo Sonata of 1977, Piazolla’s Café 1930 and Dubois’s Sonatine Tango of 1984 provide dazzling and contrasting 20th century flavours, as does the splendid Trio for flute, bassoon and piano by Chick Corea, which appeared on his 1970s album Inner Space. This album is an audio kaleidoscope of sound, colour and moods, a tribute to the bassoon’s versatility.

Legendary tango performer and composer Astor Piazzolla gained experience of jazz in New York and classical form and technique through studies with Alberto Ginastera. His work lends itself perfectly to arrangement for all kinds of ensemble, and this is the first recording with solo trombone. These popular pieces showcase the stunning playing of multi-award winning soloist Achilles Liarmakopoulos in a variety of moods, including the famous Oblivion, and Le Grand Tango, a virtuoso show-stopper originally written for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

The recording boasts an impressive line-up of artists including Ruth Rogers on violin, Gemma Rosefield on cello, Spanish pianist Jose Menor, soprano Laura Mitchell, percussion from the O-Duo, Vietnamese accordion player Phuong Nguyen, Venezuelan singer Luzmira Zerpa and the famous Sacconi String Quartet.

Highlights include the world premiere recording of Alec Roth’s ‘Quintet for Guitar and Strings’, written especially for the Sacconi Quartet and Morgan Szymanski as well as the first recording of Simone Iannarelli’s ‘Valzer Brillante’ for guitar and strings.

Other featured composers include Manuel M. Ponce, Astor Piazzolla, Leo Brouwer, Paulo Bellinati and Antonio Lauro.