Search - Astor Piazzolla, Dane Amicarelli, Jaime Gosis :: Pulsación

Piazzolla Must-Have, Part Two

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 12/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In an earlier review, I gave ANS' Piazzolla Masterpieces "Otono Porteno" my highest recommendation. Well, unfortunately that CD went out of print and became essentially unavailable.
Recently, it has become possible for the fan who missed out on both the original recordings in 1969 and the 1994 ANS compilation to take advantage of a second chance to acquire some of the most arresting pieces in the Piazzolla canon.
These can be found on the recently remastered original called Pulsacion and on Circular Moves' twin reissue Adios Nonino (reviewed separately).
Pulsacion features a four part jazz soundtrack of four "pulsations" for a Uruguayan movie of the same name followed by five instrumental pieces from the now-classic operita Maria de Buenos Aires.
The Pulsacion set is sort of a musical orphan that has been tacked on to other compilation CDs over the years, but here it is in the logical sequence of its original issue. Those who have never heard it will find it surprisingly different from much of Piazzolla's other works. Different though it is, Pulsacion still screams Piazzolla.
The instrumental pieces from Maria de Buenos Aires, released previously on the ANS Masterpieces compilation, include the musically difficult Fuga y Misterio, the brooding melancholy of Contramilonga A La Funerala, the Zappa-esque stunner Allegro Tangabile, the dissonant variation on many previous Piazzolla themes Tocata Rea, and the percussive xylophone-driven staccato of Tangata del Alba.
I own more than 50 Piazzolla recordings. It is not hyperbole to say that this re-master and it's twin are among the must-haves for any fan. In addition to the great music, both contain booklets with excellent explanatory notes absent from the ANS compilation. Order them now before they, too, disappear from the shelves."