大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores tango legend Astor Piazzolla鈥檚 colourful early years playing bandoneon in the tango bands of Buenos Aires

All his life he fought against the tide, and in the end, he was the victor. Born in 1921, Astor Piazzolla was a rebel with a cause. A virtuoso bandoneon player and a composer, he set out to break tango free from its roots, and make it a music with a future far beyond the dance halls and cafes of 1950s Buenos Aires. Hits like 鈥淟ibertango鈥� and collaborations with jazz giants like Gary Burton and Gerry Mulligan made his name beyond the tango world, while his classical compositions brought his instrument, the bandoneon, and him critical acclaim in the concert hall. The secret of his musical technique came, he said, from his studies with French pedagogue, Nadia Boulanger and Argentinian composer, Alberto Ginastera but there was a third teacher: Buenos Aires, the city which taught him the secrets of tango.

Across the week Donald Macleod traces Astor Piazzolla鈥檚 life through five formative locations, New York, Buenos Aires, Paris, Rome and Punta del Este, the coastal resort where he would spend the summer, relaxing and composing.

Piazzolla came to Buenos Aires as a teenager to join one the many tango orchestras, popular in the city during the 1950s. It wasn鈥檛 long before he was snapped up by one of the most famous outfits lead by Anibal Troilo and began to see the seamier side of caf茅 society.

Buenos Aires hora cera (Buenos Aires zero hour)
Astor Piazzolla and the new Tango Sextet
Astor Piazzolla, bandoneon
Gerardo Gandini, piano
Horacio Malvicino, guitar
Daniel Binelli, bandoneon
Carlos Nozzi, cello
Angel Ridolfi, bass

El desbande
arr. Piazzolla: A Bardi-M. Battistella: Tiernamente
arr. Piazzolla: A. Junnissi: El recodo
Aldo Campoamor, vocals
Astor Piazzolla and his Orchestra

Histoire du Tango for flute and guitar
Concert d鈥檃ujourd鈥檋ui.
C茅cile Daroux, flute
Pablo M谩rquez, guitar

Balada para mi muerte
Amelita Baltar, vocal
Astor Piazzolla

Troileana Suite
Astor Piazzolla and his Orchestra

Sinfon铆a Buenos Aires, Op.15
Moderato 鈥� Allegretto
Daniel Binelli, bandoneon
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor

Producer: Johannah Smith, 大象传媒 Wales