Tribute to Astor Piazzola

The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra continuous its series of chamber music concert with a programme devoted to music by the Argentinean composer Astor Piazzola (1921-1992) performed by string quartet and accordion. The ensemble is made up of the Orchestra musicians Wolfgang Schroeder (1st violin), Sorin Alexandru Horlea (2nd violin), Vladimir Tkachenko (viola) and Petros Gospodinov (cello), and guest musician Nenad Bogdanovic performing on the accordion.

The programme:
The musicians promise to take you on a journey to the sensational and exhilarating world of Piazzola’s Nuevo Tango (New Tango). The Nuevo Tango was an innovative, contemporary style of Tango created by Astor Piazzola (1921-1992) through the merging of his classical music education, the Tango tradition of the first decades of the 20th century and jazz which was very popular at the time. Piazzola’s Nuevo Tango was fiercely attacked by the purists of the classical Tango. As a response to the criticisms, the composer stated in 1954: “If everything has changed, so should the music of Buenos Aires. There are many of us trying to change the tango, but these gentlemen, who attack me, do not understand us, nor will they ever do. I will proceed forth despite them.” Piazzola brought novelties to the Tango in stylistic features such as the rhythm, harmony, use of counterpoint, new sound effects and instrumentation. His works burst with the pulse and the soul of Argentinean Tango, and speak to the heart with emotions of nostalgia, sensationalism and passion, melancholy mingled with joy. By the 1970s tango as music, poetry and as life-style became once more revived and recognized thanks to Astor Piazzolla and has become a part of the global cultural heritage.

The concert programme will start with El Penultimo (The last one), in an arrangement by the Italian accordion virtuoso Wolmer Beltrami. Piazzola wrote the piece for the film Last tango in Paris in 1972. The extremely popular Libertango, will be performed in an arrangement for string quartet and accordion by Nenad Bogdanovic. Libertango was first recorded in 1974 in Milano and exists in more than 500 arrangements by famous musicians across different musical styles, such as Grace Jones, Yo-Yo Ma and Al Di Meola. The third piece is Oblivion, in an arrangement again for string 4-tet and accordion by Sorin Alexandru Horlea. Oblivion was included in the soundtrack of Marco Bellochio’s movie, Henry IV, The Mad King. The programme will close with Five Tango Sensations, a suite of works for bandoneon and string quartet written as a result of Piazzola’s collaboration with the famous Kronos Quartet. The Suite was recorded by the acclaimed quartet and Piazzola in 1989.

The concert “Tribute to Astor Piazzola with accordion and string quartet” will take place on Saturday 11 May 2013, at 5.00pm at Pallas Theatre, Paphos Gate, Nicosia. Entrance is free. For more information you may call at 22 463144 or visit our webpage, www.cyso.org.cy.