Astor Piazzolla
The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva, violin.
Josip Petrac, cello
Mikhail Bronner
The Seasons
Angela Jones-Reus, flute
D. Ray McClellan, clarinet
ARCO Chamber Orchestra
Levon Ambartsumian, conductor
The work pays homage to the tango of Buenos Aires (the adjective "porteñas" in the title refers to the port city - Buenos Aires) and to Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons. The suite was written for Piazzolla's own quintet, consisting of bandoneon, violin, electric guitar, piano, and double bass. The string orchestra arrangement was made by Jose Bragato, Piazzolla's friend, colleague, and collaborator.
"The Seasons", a piece for for flute, clarinet and chamber orchestra, encompassing the 12 months of the year. A perfect counterpoint to Piazzola's, it harks back to the great Russian romantics, from Tchaikovsky to Rachmaninoff and Khachaturian, of whom he is the perfect heir. Light, yet incisive, it really constitutes a great tone poem without the symphonic grandeur.
