Tangorama
An Anthology of 20th Century Tango Volume 1
Mirian Conti (piano)
rec. 15-24 September 2020, Conti Studio, Buenos Aires; Yamaha Artists Service, New York
GRAND PIANO GP856 [60:17]
Argentine-American pianist and recording artist Mirian Conti has recently released her new solo album, Tangorama, performing a collection of 25 vintage tangos, written over the span of half a century. Tango originated in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 1800’s as immigrants poured in from all parts of Europe. They brought their music with them: waltzes, polkas and mazurkas, which blended with Cuban habanera and African candombe music and rhythms to create early forms of tango music and dance. These early years, from about 1895 to 1925, are known as Guardia Vieja, the Old Guard, when tango began to develop structure and identity. One of the early composers was Angel Villoldo (1861-1919), generally considered the father of the tango. Three of his tunes are included on this disc, all in early tango 2/4 duple meter. In 1903 Angel composed the well-known El Choclo, one of the best of the early tangos, which became a popular hit song again in 1952 as “Kiss of Fire”. Mirian performs these piano arrangements with a light, graceful touch and a delightful sense of rhythm, timing and phrasing. Another early tango is the famous La Cumparsita, the most popular tango ever written. It was composed in 1917 by Geraldo Matos Rodriguez (1897-1948), and originally written for a marching band. The tune is driven by the bold arrastre sound of slurring chords mixing with crisp staccatos.
The tango period known as Guardia Nueva, or New Guard, lasted roughly from 1925 to 1955. This included the Golden Age of the 1940’s, which was the hey-day of the big tango orchestras. Generally coinciding with the explosion of the Big Band era, tango began developing and maturing in form and complexity. Alfredo Gobbi (1912-1965) was a violinist and composer who wrote El Andariego in 1951. The tune features a smoother 4/8 meter, slower tempo, heavy rubato, and delicate staccato passages. From 1955 to 1970, tango went through an Avant-Garde period of development and began moving in new directions. Julian Plaza (1928-2003) was an outstanding musician and composer who wrote Melancolico in 1960 and Nostalgico in 1962. The tunes are intoxicating with dramatic tango rhythms, melodies and dissonant harmonic structures. Mirian presents them with beautiful dynamics and phrasing, meticulous keyboard technique and solid intuition.
Bruce McCollum
Contents
Re Fa Si Enrique Delfino [02:18]
Armenonville Juan ‘Pacho’ Maglio [02:42]
El Portenito Angel Villoldo [01:23]
El Choclo Angel Villoldo [01:48]
Papas Calientes Eduardo Arolas [01:53]
La Cumparsita Gerardo Matos Rodriguez [02:16]
Flores Negras Francisco De Caro [02:32]
El Torito Angel Villoldo [01:27]
Nunca Tuvo Novio Agustin Bardi [01:53]
Casita De Mis Viejos Juan Carlos Cobian [03:09]
Silueta Portena Hermanos Cuccaro [01:48]
Arrabal Jose Pascual [03:38]
Tinta Roja Sebastian Piana [01:49]
Milonga De Mis Amores Perdo Laurenz [01:47]
Mi Regalo Orlando Goni [01:41]
Percal Domingo Federico [02:19]
Corralera Anselmo Aieta [01:58]
El Andariego Alfredo Gobbi [02:36]
Naturaleza Muerta Roberto Pansera [03:15]
Tema Otonal Enrique Francini [03:15]
Melancolico Julian Plaza [02:46]
Sideral Emilio Balcarce [03:00]
Nostalgico Julian Plaza [02:34]
A Los Artistas Plasticos Osvaldo Pugliese [03:44]
El Firulete Mariano Mores [02:45]
