Five Tango Sensations
Encyclopedia
Five Tango Sensations is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet
and Argentine
tango
composer
and bandoneón
player Ástor Piazzolla
. The record was one of a set of three internationally tinged albums released simultaneously, the Argentine music of this album being accompanied by the music of South-African composer Kevin Volans
on Kevin Volans: Hunting:Gathering
and the music of Polish composer Witold Lutosławski on Witold Lutosławski: String Quartet
.
In 1987, Kronos's executive producer, Robert Hurwitz, had taken Piazzolla, who was on an extended stay in New York City
, to see the quartet perform. Backstage, after Piazzolla paid his compliments to the quartet, violinist David Harrington asked if he could call him in a few days; when Harrington called, Piazzolla had already composed "Four, For Tango" for them. (The quartet still plays the piece from photocopies of Piazzolla's original score.) The quartet recorded the piece in November 1987 for their 1988 album Winter Was Hard
. They continued their collaboration in live performance; as late as June 1990 Piazzolla and the quartet performed together at a festival in Germany.
The five compositions on this album, "a musical farewell to life," date from 1989, and were written after Piazzolla experienced a grave illness. They were premiered in New York at Alice Tully Hall
on 25 November 1989, Piazzolla having flown to New York to play with the quartet for the premiere and the subsequent recordings, which were done in a three-hour session at the Power Station in Manhattan. Harrington remarked that this was the shortest recording session they had ever done, and the quartet noted a "centered sternness" in Piazzolla: according to Harrington, "he pulled the music out of Kronos."
The session with the Kronos Quartet proved to be his last studio recording: Piazzolla, who had revolutionized the traditional tango creating a new style, the nuevo tango
, died on 4 July 1992.
, calls it a "work of tragic beauty."
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
and Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and bandoneón
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
player Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
. The record was one of a set of three internationally tinged albums released simultaneously, the Argentine music of this album being accompanied by the music of South-African composer Kevin Volans
Kevin Volans
Kevin Volans is a composer associated with the post-minimalist movement in contemporary composition. He was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on July 6, 1949, and even though he has spent most of his life outside his native country, is the best known South African composer active today.In...
on Kevin Volans: Hunting:Gathering
Kevin Volans: Hunting:Gathering
Kevin Volans: Hunting:Gathering is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet, containing works by South African composer Kevin Volans composed especially for the quartet.-Track listing:-Critical reception:...
and the music of Polish composer Witold Lutosławski on Witold Lutosławski: String Quartet
Witold Lutosławski: String Quartet
Witold Lutosławski: String Quartet is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet, containing String quartet by Polish Witold Lutosławski composed in 1964 and first performed in 1965...
.
The Kronos Quartet and Ástor Piazzolla
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to see the quartet perform. Backstage, after Piazzolla paid his compliments to the quartet, violinist David Harrington asked if he could call him in a few days; when Harrington called, Piazzolla had already composed "Four, For Tango" for them. (The quartet still plays the piece from photocopies of Piazzolla's original score.) The quartet recorded the piece in November 1987 for their 1988 album Winter Was Hard
Winter Was Hard
Winter Was Hard is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet. It contains compositions by Aulis Sallinen, Terry Riley, Arvo Pärt, Anton Webern, John Zorn, John Lurie, Ástor Piazzolla, Alfred Schnittke, and Samuel Barber.-Track listing:-Critical reception:...
. They continued their collaboration in live performance; as late as June 1990 Piazzolla and the quartet performed together at a festival in Germany.
The five compositions on this album, "a musical farewell to life," date from 1989, and were written after Piazzolla experienced a grave illness. They were premiered in New York at Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. It is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assisted in the construction of the hall...
on 25 November 1989, Piazzolla having flown to New York to play with the quartet for the premiere and the subsequent recordings, which were done in a three-hour session at the Power Station in Manhattan. Harrington remarked that this was the shortest recording session they had ever done, and the quartet noted a "centered sternness" in Piazzolla: according to Harrington, "he pulled the music out of Kronos."
The session with the Kronos Quartet proved to be his last studio recording: Piazzolla, who had revolutionized the traditional tango creating a new style, the nuevo tango
Nuevo tango
Tango Nuevo - either a form of music in which new elements are incorporated into traditional Argentine tango, or an evolution of tango dance that began to develop in the 1980s...
, died on 4 July 1992.
Track listing
Critical reception
Allan Kozinn, reviewing the compositions for New York Times after their premiere in New York in 1989, called them "a set of charmingly melodic tangos in which the group supplied an accompaniment to the composer's urbane performances on the accordionlike bandoneon." Adam Greenberg remarks in his review on Allmusic that "Piazzolla plays his heart out on his trusty bandoneon, and the Kronos players accompany to perfection." Michael Barrett, in the San Antonio Express-NewsSan Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
, calls it a "work of tragic beauty."
Musicians
- David Harrington – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- John Sherba – violin
- Hank Dutt – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Joan JeanrenaudJoan JeanrenaudJoan Jeanrenaud, née Dutcher , is an American cello player. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she played with the Kronos Quartet from 1978 until 1999, when, after a sabbatical, she left to pursue a solo career and collaborations with other artists, in part due being diagnosed with multiple...
– celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... - Ástor PiazzollaÁstor PiazzollaÁstor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
– bandoneónBandoneónThe bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
Production
- Recorded and mixed at Power StationAvatar StudiosAvatar Studios, formerly known as The Power Station, is a recording studio at 441 West 53rd Street in Manhattan, New York City.The building was originally a Consolidated Edison power plant; but after a period of vacancy, it was used as a sound stage for the television game show Let's Make a Deal...
, New York City- Judith Sherman, Rob Eaton, Dave O'Donnell, Dan Gellert – engineers