Maria de Buenos Aires

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), the acknowledged modern master of tango, set this work in the late ‘60s to a highly poetic libretto by Horacio Ferrer about a woman drawn to prostitution by the dark, seductive power of the titular city. Maria ultimately dies, but still haunts the urban demimonde as a spirit. However, Maria de Buenos Aires is far more concerned with mood than narrative, its tone both surrealistic and hallucinatory, often suggesting a kind of musical incantation. Originally called an “operita tango,” the work resembles the French baroque opera-ballet, but it also exhibits some cantata characteristics, since passages of text are periodically declaimed rather than sung. What ties it all together into a surprisingly convincing whole is Piazzolla's mesmerizing music, in which the bandoneon (a type of accordion) plays a central role. This performance, filmed at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy as part of the 2003 Festival Euro Mediterraneo, features the expanded Piazzolla Ensemble conducted by Armando Nilas, with Massimiliano Pitocco on bandoneon. The dancing by Compania Tangopolis de Buenos Aires is excellent, while the vocalism is committed. Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, Maria de Buenos Aires is an extraordinary work by a major composer working at the height of his powers. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)