This album features both Vivaldi's and Piazzolla's "Four Seasons" performed on Baroque instruments, a choice that highlights the connection between the two composers.
Composer Biography
Astor Piazzolla's music was influenced by Ravel, Stravinsky, Bartók, and jazz idioms from encounters with musicians like Gerry Mulligan and Gary Burton.
Instruments
The bandoneon, a type of concertina, was brought to Argentina by a German émigré named Heinrich Band and became a sensation in Argentine tangos.
Composition History
Piazzolla's "Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas" (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) was not originally conceived as a cycle, but as four individual pieces, with 'Summer' being the first and 'Winter' the last.
Instruments
The bandoneon, a key instrument in Piazzolla's music, was adapted for concert use during his lifetime, expanding from 124 to 200 notes.
Performer Biography
Andrés Gabetta, the violinist and director of Cappella Gabetta, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 for a recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos with his ensemble, the Swiss Baroque Soloists.
Performer Biography
Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, the bandoneon soloist on this album, is considered one of the few virtuosos capable of playing the concert bandoneon as Piazzolla intended.
