No music and locale of that music is more connected to a single musician than, Tango and Argentina are to Astor Piazzolla. Piazzolla (1921-1992) is best known for Tango Nuevo that brought the humid, sensual music out of the dance hall and into the concert hall. There is a staggering amount of Piazzolla by the man himself available. Such a corpus is daunting to the uninitiated who want but a taste of the master before diving into the Argentinean sway.

Naxos’ Astor Piazzolla – Maria de Buenos Aires Suite is a superb sampler for this purpose. Naxos has other Piazzolla collections, most notably: Piazzolla: Complete Music for Flute and Guitar (8.554760) geared toward a more specific audience. Maria de Buenos Aires Suite accomplishes a broader goal by providing an array of Piazzolla wares.

“Milonga del Angel” provides a picture of Piazzolla in a piano-led ensemble dealing out a lilting brand of Tango. “Verano Porteno” adds abandon and speeds things up before its middle balladic section featuring violinist Jose A. Velez. “Oblivion” is the quintessential Piazzolla composition, performed here with piano ensemble. “Balada para una Loco” sports the narration and singing of performance art over a descending Tango figure.

The "Maria de Buenos Aires Suite," derived from the opera, showcases the entire universe of Tango, and is an excellently crafted package that draws on all of Piazzolla's considerable creative powers, providing what one could consider the soundtrack of Buenos Aires.

Taken as sum, Astor Piazzolla –Maria de Buenos Aires Suite provides a generous introduction to Tango and Astor Piazzolla, making this recording an easy one to recommend to novice and expert alike. The material is well chosen, paced, and played.

Selections:

Milonga del Angel; Verano porteno; Chiquilin de Bachin; Libertango; Oblivion; Balada para un Loco; Maria de Buenos Aires Suite: I. Milonga Carrieguera, II. Fuga y Misterio, III. Yo soy Maria, IV. Allegro Tangabile, V. Milonga de la Anunciacion.

Performers:

Versus Ensemble, Horacio Ferrer; Enrique Moratalla; Maria Rey-Joly: vocals and recitation.