The Vienna Concert

Album review

Recorded before an exceedingly enthusiastic live studio audience at the Konzerthaus in Vienna in 1983, this disc captures composer and bandoneon virtuoso Astor Piazzolla and his quintet in full flight in eight prime examples of Piazzolla's nuevo tangos. Some of them are extremely well known, like Verano Porteño and Invierno Porteño, and some are less well known, like Caliente and Revirado, but all receive the deluxe treatment here. Pablo Ziegler is a monster pianist with a huge tone and a massive technique, while Fernando Suarez Paz is a sweet-toned violinist, Oscar Lopez is a soulful guitarist, and Hector Console is a funky but chic bassist. Needless to say, Piazzolla is a wholly persuasive advocate of his own music, giving it thrust, swing, and a palpable sense of danger. The group's ensemble playing is deep in the tango groove and catches the sultry yet melancholy feel of the music to perfection. Though sometimes a bit rambunctious and often a tad obstreperous, Piazzolla and his quintet's performance makes a fine single-disc introduction to his intensely evocative art. Produced by Piazzolla and Götz A. Wörner, the sound here is rough around the edges but very forward.

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