Encuentro
Ástor PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992)
Camorra I-II-III (1987-88) [28:13]
Gustavo BEYTELMANN (b.1945)
Encuentro [9:18]
Otras voces [8:51]
El desaparecido [7:46]
Ástor PIAZZOLLA
Contrabajissimo (1984) [10:13]
Quatuor Caliente (Gilberto Pereyra (bandoneon), Michel Berrier (violin), Cédric
Lorel (piano), Nicolas Marty (bass)), Laurent Colombani (guitar), Vincent
Maillard (vibraphone, Otras voces)
rec. May/Sep 2010, Studio Sequenza, Montreuil, France. DDD
ÆON AECD1107 [64:21]
This disc is for those who do not need any introduction to Astor Piazzolla.
It contains four pieces by the maestro and three more by the Argentinean composer
Gustavo Beytelmann. All can be put under the title "Advanced Nuevo
Tango".
The three Camorras are dark and dense. They mix two main types of Piazzolla's
tango music: the "wild and crazy", and the "pure and heartfelt". Many elements
sound familiar. The Quatuor Caliente is rather good in both the aggressive
Sturm und Drang outer parts, as well in the heart-throbbing, supple
and expressive internal episodes - especially when the violin takes the lead.
The first Camorra does not really work out here, I'm afraid. It comes
out quite mechanical. This is due to the hard sound of the piano and especially
of the bandoneon, and to the unimaginative repetition. Also, if the lyrical
episodes were not so rushed, there would be more breath and more soul in them.
Camorra II is one of Piazzolla's grand tangos, and the Calientes are
very good in conveying its demonic urgency. Camorra III is the most
diverse of the three, and the most beautiful. Between small thunderstorms
of the entire ensemble, jazzy and agitated, we have expressive cadence-like
slow episodes led by the violin and the piano. This is evening music, improvisatory
and melancholic, and resemblesAdios Nonino.
Contrabajissimo is impressive. Piazzolla's own version with The New
Tango Quintet on Nonesuch is sharper, angrier and, in my eyes, not yet surpassed.
Where Piazzolla is agile and full of action, the Caliente has more power,
but is more predictable. Still, each has the power to impress.
The Piazzolla star is so bright that nuevo tango is still more
a style than a real genre. Many composers that have followed Piazzolla hook
up to the tail of his comet. It is very difficult to get rid of his influence
- some do it with great effort, some are happy to remain with the comet's
tail. The three works of Gustavo Beytelmann show differing degrees of detachment
from the Piazzolla influence. Encuentro could have been written by
Piazzolla himself. It has episodes with beautiful cadences for the violin
and the guitar. The mood is nocturnal, chilly, tranquil, concentrated.
Otras voces is much more cerebral. The Piazzolla influence is less
immediate although it can still be seen as a distant branch of the Tango tree.
It is interesting to watch how the composer takes elements of tango and builds
music which is quite advanced. To really enjoy this work, you must immerse
yourself in it, absorb it, ride with it. Be prepared: this ride will be bumpy.
Some places left me cold - for example, the final stretch does not seem convincing
- some were enthralling. Give it a few tries, and it will probably get you
on the hook.
El desaparecido brings us back, closer to the trunk of the tree. The
mood is cold and foggy. There are tranquil evening episodes, where the violin
and the bandoneon share the singing, and more urgent ostinato moments
with sharp, pointed rhythms. Nothing radically new is added to the Piazzolla
building blocks. The work has its architecture; you can feel it. It's like
entering different rooms of a house: they are different, but you feel that
they were furnished by the same designer. The aftertaste is comparable with
that of one of Piazzolla's Seasons of Buenos Aires. An attractive work,
though derivative.
As a whole this album is more for those who already know and love Nuevo Tango,
for those who want to dig deeper. Definitely not for Piazzolla beginners or
as an introduction to the genre. The sound is well recorded - maybe a bit
too close. I had the impression that the sound engineer wanted to reproduce
the “sandpaper” feeling of Piazzolla’s own recordings. The
violin playing of Michel Berrier is absolutely superb. It is completely inside
the idiom, sensitive and beautiful. Unfortunately, the sound of the bandoneon
is hard and mechanical, which is especially noticeable when compared to Piazzolla's
own recording legacy. Quatuor Caliente had recorded two discs with more standard
Piazzolla repertoire. These have the same violinist, less focus on the bandoneon
and can be really good. I'd especially try the disc with the singer Debora
Russ. Judging by the sound samples on Amazon, I’d say that one would
be the disc to have.
Oleg Ledeniov
Advanced Nuevo Tango, for those who want to dig deeper.