This piece follows on from Vivaldi’s take on winter yesterday. This is Winter from Astor Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas, written in 1969. Piazzolla was an Argentinean composer who pioneered the ‘tango nuevo’ style, which put a more modern spin on traditional tango music. Tango is the national style of Argentina.
In this piece, you will see the traditional Argentinean instrument the bandoneón. This is a type of accordion with buttons on both sides. It is extremely difficult to play, as you get different notes depending on whether you are pushing or pulling. This is Astor Piazzolla playing his bandoneón:
We have already had some tango in our daily listening: compare this piece with our post from 27th March.
Hayes Music blog 