Piazzolla - Tango Etudes
The Tango Etudes are typical of Piazzolla's output with his characteristic blend of tango, jazz and modern classical harmony. It is a very unique sound, although sometimes the structure feels all too predictable with lyrical middle sections sandwiched between choppy dance music. The etudes have been orchestrated, but the harmonic language is very full in the solo part, so it really isn't strictly necessary. The classic chromatically descending patterns and pedal points are heard extensively throughout these studies. Plenty of embellishment, mostly in the form of grace notes peppers the etudes and contributes to the codifying of a classical-tango style. Nadia Boulanger's advice to Piazzolla not to abandon the tango music of his native Argentina certainly enabled him to find a distinctive voice in the Western canon, but could it possibly have limited him? Passacaglias abound in these short pieces but after a time they can become a little tiresome and obvious. Perhaps it is symptomatic of the postmodern age that Tango music must be viewed as sophisticated as other music, despite its obvious simplicity compared to the classical and jazz music of its time. Piazolla has been described as "the world's foremost composer of tango music" which sounds very impressive until one tries (fruitlessly) to think of any other composer of tango music. Finding a niche is all very well, but a niche can also be a rut. Fun pieces though!