Astor Piazzolla; Heitor Villa-Lobos - Americas (Anne Gastinel)

Information

Composer: Astor Piazzolla; Heitor Villa-Lobos

1. Piazzolla - Adiós Nonino
2. Piazzolla - Le Grand Tango
3. Piazzolla - Histoire du Tango: Café 1930
4. Piazzolla - Michelangelo 70
5. Piazzolla - Oblivion
6. Villa-Lobos - Bachianas brasileiras No. 1: I. Introdução (Embolada)
7. Villa-Lobos - Bachianas brasileiras No. 1: II. Prelúdio (Modinha)
8. Villa-Lobos - Bachianas brasileiras No. 1: III. Fuga (Conversa)
9. Villa-Lobos - Bachianas brasileiras No. 5: I. Aria
10. Villa-Lobos - Bachianas brasileiras No. 5: II. Dança (Martello): Allegretto

Anne Gastinel, cello

Sandrine Piau, soprano (9, 10)

Orchestre National de France

Date: 2015

Label: Naïve Records

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review

Piazzolla and Villa-Lobos are afforded the Rolls-Royce treatment here by Naïve. Please forgive the somewhat mixed metaphor, but my knowledge of elite French car marques is limited. The star quality of cellist Anne Gastinel and soprano Sandrine Piau give this a definite luxury feel.

The nuevo tangos of Astor Piazzolla seem almost infinitely re-arrangable. I have seen versions for everything from solo piano to full orchestra, and all manner of ensembles in between. Here the five pieces were arranged for this recording by Thibault Perrine for solo cello - taking the part of the bandoneon in Piazzolla’s original band version - and cello orchestra. As well played as the five pieces are, I believe that these arrangements are not one of the more successful ones, lacking contrast, as they do. The marvellous Tango! album led by cellist Jan Vogler and a chamber ensemble (review) features a stunning rendition of Oblivion for piano trio, where all three instruments take turns with the lead melody. Here that isn’t possible, and while Piazzolla’s wonderful tunes are still there, a certain something is missing.

The two Villa-Lobos pieces were written specifically for cello ensembles, and as such, work much better because the composer’s original planning took the limited soundscape into account. Sandrine Piau’s entry in the famous vocalise at the start of No. 5 sent shivers up my spine, with its passion and intimacy. Her rendition rivals that of Victoria de los Angeles with the composer on EMI Classics (review), and is a considerable contrast to the more restrained Renée Fleming (RCA) and Donna Brown (BIS – review). The cello accompaniment is exceptional, and this may just be the best version I’ve heard. The performance of No. 1 is even better, and unquestionably the best I know, with marvellous drive and poetry.

The liner-notes consist of a Q&A session with Anne Gastinel, two of the five questions being about her rather than the music. For works that are fairly well known, especially Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, I can understand the idea of steering away from the standard format, but omitting any information about the works and composers is ill-judged. Equally, I’m not sure why it was considered a good idea to omit all timings – tracks and album from the booklet and cover. The recording quality for the cellos is very good, but perhaps a little close for Ms Piau.

I’m not convinced about the all-cello Piazzolla, but these are benchmark performances of the two Bachianas Brasileiras.

-- David Barker, MusicWeb International

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Astor Piazzolla (March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. Being Alberto Ginastera's student for five years, Piazzolla mastered orchestration, which he later considered to be one of his strong points. He also studied with the legendary French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger at the Fontainebleau conservatory. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_Piazzolla

***

Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887 – November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known South American composer of all time. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over 2000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and by stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, as exemplified by his Bachianas Brasileiras (Brazilian Bachian-pieces).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heitor_Villa-Lobos

***

Anne Gastinel (born October 14, 1971) is a French cellist and professor. She studied at the Lyons Conservatory and the Paris Conservatory, where her teachers included famous musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Tortelier, and János Starker. She has participated in many more international contests, and by the young age of 18, had already performed in more than 50 cities all over Europe. A worldwide solo career has led her to many famous musical halls throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. She plays on a 1690 Testore cello, and has been a professor of cello at the Lyon Conservatory since 2003.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Gastinel

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

FLAC, tracks

Links in comment

Enjoy!