Customer Reviews

The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night (Tango Apasionado)

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I bought this years ago as part of an American Clave box set and consider it the finest realization of Piazzolla's later musical visions. All the more remarkable in its greatness is that it was specifically commissioned and so was composed under a certain amount of pressure. As a missionary for the musical gospel of Astor Piazzolla, this is one of the CDs I like to play to introduce his music to those who have never heard of him. Rough Dancer... is a work that is at once sophisticated and yet accessible to the Nuevo Tango neophyte. This is a CD that tells a story of life in the arrabal through the music. While the whole album is excellent, my favorites are Tango Apasionado, Butcher's Death, and both versions of the searing melancholy of Milonga For Three. Paquito d'Rivera's sax on the reprise is nothing short of breathtaking. If I were to make a list of ten must-own Piazzolla CDs, this would be near the top of the list as it is not just essential Piazzolla, but quintessential Piazzolla.

That's what Astor Piazzolla said when he found that Suarez Paz and Kip Hanrahan were trying to edit out some of the "rough edges" of this recording. (This story is from the liner notes.) So, he burst through the door and put a stop to it. And there's just no arguing with his rationale; "...this record needs the darkness of a nostalgic dream. It's music meant to be played by half-drunk musicians in a bordello." Then, of course, he offered to take them both out for a drink. (Well, that's the way I heard the story ...)

This recording achieves exactly what Piazzolla intended, and hearing it, one becomes immersed, an enthralled participant, in that "nostalgic dream". I'm no authority on Tango music. I have Al Dimeola's tribute album to Piazzolla, "The Tango Lesson" soundtrack, and this one. But it's not going to be the last. And if you're not careful, you'll discover, as Paul Valery noted, that "The ear is delightfully connected to the ankle." This is late night music, that pulls you in, wraps itself around you, and leaves you in that last gray hour before dawn, dreaming ...

If you can only afford one Tango album, this is it! !!!

This was the fifth Piazzola CD I bought, and it should have been the first. Being a saxophone player, I love Paquito d'Rivera's saxophone performance in the reprise. But this is not a saxophone CD. It has some of the most emotional music I've heard from Piazzola. This is one of my most-played compact discs.

The recent popularity of Mr. Piazzola is associated with well known clasical artists like Yo-Yo Ma or Emanuel Ax who recently recorded Mr. Paizzola's music. Their names have given to Mr. Paizzola certain respectability and sales in the clasical music scene, but Mr. Piazzola's music is resistent to definitions and Mr. Piazzola does not need their help to stand out. "The rough dancer and the cyclical night", is a great example of the sophistication and richness of his music, which he called "Nuevo Gotang". He performed and tape it with his superb quintet (Paquito D'Rivera plays de sax, Pablo Zinger the piano and Astor the Bandoneon), it is rich in rhythms and melodies, and is Piazzola at his best. Every single track is a story by itself, has its own life and range of emotions threaded by the nostalgic bandoneon, and still every track flows to the next as all part of the same song. Any other musician performance of Mr. Piazzolas music is pale compared with the Porteno genius playing it himself. Despair, love and passion in the argentinian style is what you get. Jorge Luis Borges' poem "Buenos Aires" is the perfect match for this music. I am not argentinian, but this CD proves that "turn of the century Buenos Aires was never a geographic or historical location" as is suggested in the notes inside the CD. Nobody is better than Astor himself to deliver (Buenos Aires) at your home, wherever home is.

Warning ! The Music Fan General should determine that this recording might cause addiction. Do not listen to it when you have made use of, say Tristan and Isolde - Themes or some of Schuberts Piano Sonatas on the same day.If it makes you want to get rid of the rest of your record-collection, call a friend or for professional assistance.

If you like Astor Piazzolla, you'll love this one. This, along with Buenos Aires Tango: Zero Hour and La Camorra, are Piazzolla's best works (even recognized by the master himself).

If you like tango, you'll love this one. No matter how purist you could be, Milonga Picaresque es as pure as tango itself.

If you like Jazz, you can't miss Milonga For Three (Reprise).

And, if you just like music (like me) well, this is the CD to have.

It has something that makes it so special. It's great for all tastes. One funny thing: Milonga For Three (reprise) is GREAT FOR LOVEMAKING ;-)

I have a few of Piazzolla's CDs, but this is by far my favorite.
The one thing that sets it apart is that it isn't simply
an accumulation of songs, rather there are musical themes
that are repeated, e.g. the finale repeats themes of the Prologue
and the "Milonga for three", so the CD appears as one Oeuvre.
It is no accident that there are two versions of the
"Milonga for three", the 2nd one (with saxophone instead of
bandoneon) is even more impressive than the 1st.
If you like Piazzolla's other CDs, then you'll certainly like
this one, if you've never heard Piazzolla, then this is
THE CD to listen to.

I bought this CD on the basis of liner notes to the effect that Piazzolla thought it was his best studio recording since "Zero Hour." It fairly sweats with the complex sensuality of tango. The counterpoint of the Milonga for Three has been playing in my head for months now. Impossible to imagine anyone who is interested in tango from any perspective not finding this a treasure.

If there's one word synonymous with Argentine Tango is "passion." It really is amazing. No other dance I've tried kept giving me a lump in my throat so consistently. Argentine Tango (the dance and the music) can really, really touch something deep inside of us. Piazzola's music can grip your soul and shake you around. I guess that's why they called this album "The Rough Dancer." It's absolutely beautiful and moving. This CD has to be one of his best. Classical Tango music has always been passionate, but Piazzola has taken it to a new level. If you are new to Tango music, I suggest you listen to a few tracks as it might be too strange for you. However, if you like Tango music, you'd love this CD. Try learning the dance and you'd appreciate it even more.

Tango Apasionado - never has there been a better description of the form in generalic. And the "Cyclical Night" describes the form on this CD in specific. The tango has evolving from a barrio song of bordellos to a sultry dance to, in Piazzolla's hands, an entirely new creature. One only has to see "The Twelve Monkeys" and hear the edgy, nervous sound track to realize how far the Tango has progressed.

But it is the Milonga and songs/pieces like this that continue to draw us to the music. All that yearning, longing and bittersweet melody. If you like Piazzolla (and I cannot imagine any sane person who doesn't) then this is one of the signature works, approved by the master himself. It's cyclical nature is perfect for the story the composer tells. Best of all it shows yet another facet of this multi-faceted man. Not only was he a great composer who moved the music beyond the safety zone, he was also a performer of the first order. The bandoneon, that yawning, difficult instrument literally sings. Pablo Zinger is, of course, as wonderful as ever. Indeed the ensemble sounds more like a single unit than disparate musicians. This is a relic of great value and should be treasured as such.