Direcci¿¿n Sur in Bloomington, MN

Playing tango music on the classical guitar is not a new idea. The instrument's combination of percussive quality, melodic subtlety, and meditative melancholy suits it well to
Astor Piazzolla
's music. On this release by Uruguayan-German guitarist
Jose Fernandez Bardesio
there is a good selection of
Piazzolla
pieces ranging from the extremely familiar (
Oblivion
,
Verano porteno
) to the fairly rare (
Tanti anni prima
, originally for oboe and piano), and three other arrangers besides
Bardesio
himself are represented.
's
readings tend toward the "classical" end of the spectrum; he doesn't thrash away at the tango rhythms, and he brings out a great many of the dissonances in
's writing that are lost when performers follow
's own instruction to add more "mud" to the music. There is very little mud here, but there are some fresh insights. Perhaps the biggest news here is the set of pieces by
himself, which are slated for publication in Germany. There is a group of
Tres Piezas Uruguayas
, one of them designated with the very slippery term "milonga," and another ("Candombeado," track 11) exploring African-influenced idioms that are rare in music from Argentina; the
Estudio Candombeado
, track 13, expands on the same ideas. The international success of
's music has spawned a certain amount of new composition picking up where he left off, but rarely has it been underpinned with the rigor that
himself brought to the tango and that
deploys here; his pieces are harmonically complex and undertake a variety of rhythmic developments based on popular forms.
Ginastera
Danza de la moza donosa
provides a spirited finale. The
Profil
label's absolutely clear studio sound is nothing short of an example that ought to be followed by anyone else recording a solo guitarist, and guitarists and guitar lovers of all stripes will find something new here. ~James Manheim