Astor Piazzolla (1921 - 1992) The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, Invierno Porteño, "Buenos Aires Winter"

Arranged for Violin and Strings by Leonid Desyatnikov

While Vivaldi was a pioneer in creating seasonal works, we can see that he inspired many others, including Piazzolla, who based his work on his hometown of Buenos Aires. The Argentine composer was adept on the bandoneon (a type of square concertina, sounds like an accordion), an instrument that is fundamental to tango music. Piazzolla revolutionized the modern tango style, termed nuevo tango, which consisted of many musical styles, including traditional tango, classical music, and jazz. Quinteto Astor Piazzolla, the tango quintet he invented – consisting of bandoneon, violin, piano, double bass, and electric guitar, performed the countless nuevo tango works Piazzolla wrote in his lifetime.

Quinteto Astor Piazzolla was no doubt an amazing amalgamation of a jazz, tango band as well as a chamber music group. Today however, instead of the original sounds from the tango quintet, we celebrate Piazzolla’s nuevo tango style in an excellent string ensemble arrangement by Desyatnikov, who cleverly pays homage to Vivaldi’s ingenuity by weaving parts of Vivaldi's Summer into Piazzolla’s Winter. This is remarkably notable as Vivaldi, the seasonal work pioneer, lived in Italy (belonging to the Northern hemisphere), while Piazzolla lived in Argentina, which happens to be in the opposite hemispheres to Vivaldi’s birthplace. As such, both composers experienced opposite seasons at the same time of the year.

Sit back as Piazzolla’s work showcases his visions of experiencing Winter in his hometown of Buenos Aires. A heart-wrenching tune from the cellos and violas takes the centerstage, almost like reminiscing a memory from the past before the solo violin confidently interrupts the serenity with an erratically accented and paced melody. In the bouts of intense exchange of melodies, listen closely as the piece gradually evolves, smoothly layering Vivaldi’s Summer atop the original version of Piazzolla’s Winter, without disrupting the ebb and flow of the music.