Search - Astor Piazzolla, Jose Bragato, Jean-Marie Zeitouni :: Piazzolla-Les Violons du Roy y Jean-Marie Zeitouni

Sex in a CD case

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 02/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've never heard of Astor Piazzolla, or if you think a tango is something middle-aged women dance in poofy dresses, then this CD is a must-buy. Far from being the cartoonish parodies that tend to make it into our popular culture, these tangos are some of the slickest, sexiest music you'll ever hear. The "Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" are some of Piazzolla's most popular works; particularly inspired is how each season works in a quotation from the opposite of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, e.g. Piazzolla's "Summer" quotes Vivaldi's "Winter" - 'cause, you know, when it's winter in Italy, it's summer in Buenos Aires. But if the Four Seasons are archetypes, the rest of the music is even more captivating for being equally brilliant and less familiar. The selections vary between silky sensuality and frenzied attack, but they never lose the unique energy and joie de vivre that characterizes Piazzolla's work. It sure doesn't hurt the music's cause that the Violons du Roy tear into it with panache, giving these pieces the sharp edges and manic flair that makes them come alive. If you turned an Aston Martin into a CD, it would sound like this. Give it a spin."