Piazzolla, Schubert & Schnittke: Works for Violin & Chamber Orchestra

Featuring

Katherine Hunka
Nicola (Nicky) Sweeney
Irish Chamber Orchestra
Ástor Piazzolla
Franz Schubert
Alfred Schnittke

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Performer Biography

Katherine Hunka has been the Leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra since 2002 and frequently directs the ensemble from her chair.

Composer Biography

Nadia Boulanger, a renowned teacher, encouraged Astor Piazzolla to embrace his love of tango during his studies in Paris, profoundly influencing his musical development.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Both Astor Piazzolla and Alfred Schnittke used fusion and allusion in their musical styles, with Piazzolla blending Argentine tango with classical techniques, and Schnittke creating aural collages of past music.

Composition History

Piazzolla's 'The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires' was not originally conceived as a suite; 'Verano Porteño' (Summer) was composed first in 1965 as incidental music for a play.

Composer Biography

Astor Piazzolla, born in Buenos Aires, received a bandoneón for his eighth birthday from his father, Vincent, after they moved to Greenwich Village, New York.

Interpretation

For Alfred Schnittke's 'Moz-Art à la Haydn', the Irish Chamber Orchestra used audible movement and effects, including musicians making noise as they shift positions and pretending to cry, to capture the work's theatricality.

Compositional Technique

Astor Piazzolla developed the 'nuevo tango' style, which combined chromaticism, jazz, fugal textures, and dissonance, often offending traditionalists in both classical and tango music.