Piazzolla, Astor (EN)

Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón, *11 March 1921 Mar del Plata (Argentina), †4 July 1992 Buenos Aires, Argentine composer, bandoneonist, band leader. In 1925, he emigrated with his family to New York. In 1929, he began learning to play the bandoneon. In 1934, he appeared alongside C. Gardel in the film El día que me quieras, which was significant for the history of tango. After returning to Argentina in 1937, he initially performed in minor orchestras in Mar del Plata, and then in Buenos Aires. In 1939, he joined the orchestra of one of the best bandoneonists of the time, A. Troilo (“Pichuco”). In 1941–46, he studied composition with A. Ginastera. In 1946, he founded the Astor Piazzolla y su Orquesta Típica ensemble, for which he composed his first tangos. The breakthrough in his career was the 1^st prize (1953) in the F. Sevitzky competition for the “Buenos Aires” Symphony, which enabled him to study with N. Boulanger in Paris (1954). Encouraged by her to further search for tango and inspired by G. Mulligan’s octet heard in Paris, after returning to Argentina (1955), he founded his first band, Octeto de Buenos Aires. In 1959–60, during his stay in New York, where he experimented with combining tango with jazz, he created, among others, one of his most famous tangos, Adios Nonino. In 1960, he founded a quintet, with which he performed and recorded until 1971. The composition of this group (bandoneon, violin, piano, electric guitar, double bass) became characteristic of the “new tango” style. Later he formed the following bands: Conjunto Nueve (1970, nonet), Conjunto Electronico (1976, octet), Quinteto Nuevo Tango (1978–89) and Sextet, with whom he performed and recorded until 1990. He collaborated with many outstanding artists, also performing as a soloist. With the Kronos Quartet in 1990, he made his last studio recording of the album Five Tango Sensations – a suite dedicated to this band (Nonesuch-Warner 1991). From the end of the 1980s, Piazzolla’s compositions began to be included in the repertoire by famous virtuosos, including G. Kremer, E. Ax, the Assad brothers, Yo-Yo-Ma, as well as M. Rostropowicz, who in 1990 premiered Le Grand Tango dedicated to him.

Piazzolla created a new style, called “nuevo tango,” characterised by original instrumentation, unconventional ways of producing sound and percussion effects, often refined texture using the polyphonic technique, harmony rich in dissonances and chromaticism, and unusual metrics. He drew inspiration from classical music, Stravinsky and Bartók, as well as jazz and electronic rock, but even when referring to classical forms (concerto, sonata, suite, fugue), his primary idea was composing a tango. By giving the traditional forms of tango and milonga an original stylization, Piazzolla brought them from Argentine cabarets and clubs to concert stages around the world. The innovations he introduced were initially met with strong opposition among native tangueros (enthusiasts, including tango performers and dancers). Over the years, however, the new tango gained worldwide fame and also found supporters in the composer’s home country.

Literature: N. Gorin Astor Piazzolla. A manera de memorias, Buenos Aires 1990 (includes a discography), American ed. exteded Astor Piazzolla. A Memoir, translation by F. Gonzalez, Portland 2001; M. Susana Azzi, S. Collier Le Grand Tango. The Life and Musie of Astor Piazzolla, Oxford 2000.