Piazzolla: María De Buenos Aires

Castillo, Pedro; Rodgers, Doreen; Pardo, Gustavo; McFall, Ann; Jacobs, Tanja; McLeod, Rhona; Vidal, Juanjo Lopez; Eskuche, Lisa; Rabinovich, Roberto; Mulroy, Nicholas; Villena, Victor; Martínez, Valentina Montoya; Mr McFall's Chamber

Who is María? Horacio Ferrer, librettist of this unconventional ‘operita’, said that she was a representation of Buenos Aires, embodying the spirit of tango itself. María de Buenos Aires lies outside any known genre. According to Ferrer, its highly poetic libretto was written ‘not to be understood, but to create emotion and atmosphere’. Piazzolla’s music, too, offers a charged mix of classical forms and Argentinian traditions – milonga, tango and the sparring spoken word of the traditional payada. In this, the first major recording since the 1980s, Delphian stalwarts Mr McFall’s Chamber are joined by their long-term collaborators Valentina Montoya Martínez and Nicholas Mulroy, narrator Juanjo Lopez Vidal, and internationally acclaimed tango musicians Victor Villena and Cyril Garac. Renowned for their eclectic approach to programming, which takes in everything from progressive rock, cartoon classics, folk and jazz, to early music and contemporary classical, Mr McFall’s Chamber have carved out a reputation for their insightful tango interpretations in recent years. This arrangement of Piazzolla’s score, which was specifically conceived for the group by its founder, Robert McFall, represents the culmination of more than ten years’ dedicated work.

Price: $42.98