The bandoneón, a member of the concertina family, was invented in Germany as a humble squeezebox for worship but later became central to tango culture in Buenos Aires.
Composition History
The Sinfonía Buenos Aires, originally titled Buenos Aires: Tres Movimientos Sinfonicos, won a contest that provided Piazzolla with a scholarship to study in France.
Instruments
Piazzolla's father bought him a bandoneón, a type of button accordion, at a pawn shop when Piazzolla was eight years old.
Composer Biography
Astor Piazzolla, the composer, moved with his Italian immigrant parents to New York City and had a streetwise upbringing in Little Italy.
Critical Reception
At the 1953 premiere of Sinfonía Buenos Aires, a small but vocal group of opponents shouted disapproval, which the conductor, Fabien Sevitzky, found encouraging, calling it "publicity."
Performer Biography
Daniel Binelli, the bandoneón soloist on this album, is considered the foremost exponent and torch-bearer of Astor Piazzolla's music, having toured internationally with Piazzolla's New Tango Sextet.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Piazzolla's 'nuevo tango' movement borrowed elements from jazz and classical music, including Stravinsky and Bartók, and incorporated electric sounds.
