Suite de los Buenos Aires para Piano y Flauta

Album review

This little EP by flutist Tanja von Arx and pianist Natalia González Figueroa is but nine minutes long, yet it earned the featured work, the Suite de los Buenos Aires of Claudia Montero, a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Competition in 2023. It is no wonder. There are various points of interest, one being that the album followed closely on the tragic early death of Montero in 2021; the work makes a good introduction to her music. The three-movement Suite falls into a movement of works that build on the classical side of Astor Piazzolla's tango compositions. The movements are not strictly tangos, but both the mood and the rhythmic orientation of Piazzolla's works are there. Sample the third-movement finale, subtitled "Fuguetta y despedida." The title alone is in the Piazzolla spirit, as is the percussive use of the piano and the general drive. Moreover, the balance between the instruments is novel. Montero used the term "para piano y flauta" to describe the forces, listing the piano first in the manner of Mozart and even the early Beethoven duo sonatas. The roles of the two instruments vary considerably over the course of the three compact movements, and Montero's writing shows evidence of considerable contrapuntal sophistication; Figueroa and von Arx keep this clear and, in general, deliver cheerful, engaging performances. This is, in short, a work that should absolutely be known by flutists, and it is engaging for any listener.

© James Manheim /TiVo