Search - Astor Piazzolla, Mikail Helasvuo, Jukka Savijoki :: Histoire du Tango: 5 Pieces for Guitar/Tangos for Flute & Guitar

Now classic works from a tango master

scarecrow | Chicago, Illinois United States | 12/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are interested in tango this is a good start, also flute, for in this disc you get a comprehensive collection, a marriage of the flute with the tango, also guitar. The Histoire du Tango is now a classic work. It is learned,or has been by any serious flutist. I've heard it performed live at least once a year in Chicago. This is actually a collection, that you needn't perform consecutivily, but makes for a great piece if played from cover to cover.Piazolla has made the tango has fostered and nurtured it,expanding its content,but you can define it,break it down to about five different chord progressions, ususally a descending half-step in a minor key. The Bordel here brings you right into it,livily and full of hidden anxiety, and playfullness. The fact that Piazolla can suggest all these emotive meanings simultaneously is indeed a sign of a master. My favorite here is Cafe 1930 with the languid arpeggiation in the guitar.,a bit more lyrical here we find the voice of the tango here. I really don't know if the tango is a man's world music. The Five pieces for guitar are typical expressions, Romantico, Compadre, Tristan. Again if you unfamiliar with Latin expression the guitar is your first stop. The 6 Etudes, are just really that. You can play them, but I've heard them accompanied by accordeon and guitar. Helasvuo has a thick sound like Gazzeloni, and this richness serves him well with these Etudes. The faster ones seem to proclaim themselves better. There is a problem when writing unaccompanied pieces. They cannot be merely a part begging for accompaniment, it must stand, the solo on its own, internally. And these Etudes really doesn't do that effectively. But that is the objective of an etude to determine what you need, to probe a part of your performance art."