CD Listening Project #1 December 3, 2009
Posted by arial01pd2015 in Others2, Strings.trackback
Title of CD – Yo-Yo Ma Soul of the Tango
Composer – Astor Piazzolla
Performing Artists – Hector Console, Antonio Agri, Nestor Marconi, Yo-Yo Ma, Kathryn Scott, Horacio Malvicino, Leonardo Marconi
The cello soloist – Yo-Yo Ma
I chose this CD because I’m especially attracted to Piazzola’s new tango these days 
Astor Piazzolla is an Argentine composer born in March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992. Even if he was born in Argentina, most of his childhood was in New York City, and there, he was exposed to lots and lots of jazz and classical music. Piazzolla combined classical music and jazz to make a new genera of music called ‘new tango’ (Nuevo tango). It was his new way of composing with the basics of tango with a touch of classical music.
Out of the CD ‘Yo-Yo Ma Soul of Tango’, I chose the piece called ‘Tango Remembrances’. This piece has a variety of instruments playing the melody at some point. It starts out with the cello that plays the main melody, and a few seconds later the bandoneon joins. When one plays the melody, the other always plays the counter melody and creates a perfect harmony. This piece starts out with catchy 16th notes played by the cellist using a light, bouncy bow technique called spiccato. Right after the cello solo, the bandoneon comes in, and the cellist starts to play the counter melody while the bandoneonist plays the main melody. That bouncy, exciting solo is the theme of this piece, and is played frequently in between other melodies during the piece. While I was listening to Tango Remembrances, I realized that there is a pattern in this music. The piece starts out with the theme, turns in to a sad melody, plays the theme again, and turns back in to a sorrowful, moody type of music. It repeats that pattern until the very end where it ends with a sad melody. In some points, the percussion peeks in to go with the beat, but overall, the percussions don’t take much part in this piece. However, in most other tango pieces by Piazzolla, percussion plays a big role.
“Suddenly it hit me. The music caught me like a fever that wouldn’t let go.” Yo-Yo Ma said, and I think it’s very true. Everyone has to admit that the tango Piazzolla composed is just… AWESOME.. right? 
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