A Tremendous Find
Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 11/30/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Para Colleccionistas is a CD any serious lover of Piazzolla's music should own. Forget the price, it is worth every penny and more. It is compiled from five old Piazzolla LPs, four of which I had never heard. The music starts with a stirring rendition of Verano Porteno and is followed by an equally stirring variation on that theme entitled Al Compas de los Tamangos. These are followed by four recordings which are entirely new to me then three cuts from what must have been a blockbuster in its own right:Astor Piazzolla/Egle Martin. Retrato de Mi Mismo from that album is an instrumental work of stunning melancholy. The Egle Martin vocal on Graciela Oscura is really one of the most captivating and emotional performances I've heard from a tanguera. The power of the lyrics and Martin's interpretation of them tears at the soul. Her performances on Graciela Oscura and the follow-up on Las Rosas Golondrinas mark her as someone of whom I want to hear more. This phase of the album is followed by a few of Piazzolla's unique interpretations of more traditional standards such as Uno, Sur, Malena and Percal. I was particularly captivated by Piazzolla's rendering of Malena. The CD ends with four selections from what is today called Paris 1955, recorded with French jazz pianist Martial Solal and an orchestra. That CD stands as one of Piazzolla's most important works. I've mentioned it in my review of Octeto Buenos Aires, but it is seemingly unavailable on this site. A reader recently emailed me that he found it on a French site, so email me if you want to know where to get it. Since all selections on Paris 1955 are superior, it stands to reason that the four presented here are also. My favorite is the exquisite Guardia Nueva, but each of these will transport you far away with their beauty. The only demerit I can give this CD is that the liner notes are chiefly in Japanese, reasonable enough for a Japanese import. However, lyrics for the two vocals are given in both Spanish and Japanese. If you understand Spanish, you will find Graciela Oscura to be even more enigmatic and tragic than Chiquilin de Bachin. Para Colleccionistas is an essential album containing lots of obscure rarities and as such is a tremendous find. You owe it to yourself to own this."
Ignore the price, it is worth more...
Kurt Harding | 01/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD includes the works by Piazzolla which have never been reissued for more than 20 years. You will be surprised to hear some familiar themes ("Retrato de mi mismo" is built around the same theme as "Luna" from 1989 performance documented on the CD with the same name from EMI) interpreted in a very different manner. There is still some more material by Piazzolla which have never even been transferred from 78 rpm records to LPs, not saying a word about CDs. Let us hope that we will not have to wait for another 20 years... Many, many thanks to Polydor of Japan."
For collectors only
Kurt Harding | 08/22/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD contains tracks previously unavailable in CD format and hard-to-find in other formats. It is therefore a must-have for all the Piazzolla fans."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1