Spring in San Francisco Preview III

Leah Froyd
Feb 23
3 min read

Hello and welcome to our third installment of previews for Spring in San Francisco! We are very excited to introduce the Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzolla to you today. Piazzolla was born in 1921, Mar del Plata Argentina and was a virtuoso bandoneón player. He left a great impression in latin classical music by combining elements of traditional tango music into classical music forms.

Spring in San Francisco ⎹ March 9th

March 9, 2025, 2:30 – 4:30 PM|St. Francis Wood Salon

Above: Astor Piazzolla with his bandoneón photographed at 12 years old.

Piazzolla played with a tango orchestra from his childhood until he won a composition contest and got the opportunity to study with the prestigious Nadia Boulanger (grand-teacher to both our composers in residence Cooper Grosscup and José Daniel Vargas). Despite his interest in transforming his sound into something closer to tradition western classical music, Boulanger instructed him to stick with his own voice and embrace the tango:

“She (Nadia Boulanger) kept asking: “You say that you are not pianist. What instrument do you play, then?” And I didn’t want to tell her that I was a bandoneón player, because I thought, “Then she will throw me from the fourth floor.” Finally, I confessed and she asked me to play some bars of a tango of my own. She suddenly opened her eyes, took my hand and told me: “You idiot, that’s Piazzolla!” And I took all the music I composed, ten years of my life, and sent it to hell in two seconds…”

- Astor Piazzolla: A Memoire

Libertango performed by Astor Piazzolla and his Quintet.

It was Boulanger who inspired for Piazzolla to return to Argentina. He found a new vessel for composition through the formation of his group, Quinteto Nuevo Tango. Although classics like Libertango and Oblivian were originally composed for his quintet, they spawned many arrangements ranging from piano trios to full orchestrations.

In this recording of Libertango performed by Piazzolla and his quitnet, listen for the the persistance of the rhythm in the piano, guitar, and double bass. Their accented rhythm lays the foundation for the violinist and Piazzolla on bandoneón to soar and play with their beautiful melodies. Because there is an element of jazz, you will also hear improvisatory embellishments as each instrument basks in their time in the spotlight.

Audiences across America and Europe celebrated his compositions. He eventually composed Concerto for Bandoneón and Orchestra on commission for the provincial Bank of Buenos Aires. He composed his acclaimed Five Tango Sensations for Bandoneón and String Quartet for the Kronos Quartet in 1989.

Cuarteto Gianneo y Rodolfo Mederos ⎹ Piazzolla Five Sensations of Tango II. Loving

Above is the second movement of Five Tango Sensations for Bandoneón which is titled Love. It’s a slower movement which languishes in the indulgences of love. Listen for the pulses in the cello which represent a heart beat paired with intimate “dances” shared between the violins and bandeón. In the middle section of the movement, the mood becomes more playful with the strings switching to pizzicato (plucking) to create a lighter texture. The original motif is then readopted as we return to the bittersweet and nostalgic world to close the movement.

In our presentation of Spring in San Francisco, we will showcase Piazzolla’s interpretation of Spring in Buenos Aires in tango fashion. Before our concert, try to hypothesize what ways Piazzolla’s Spring will be different from Richter’s and Vivaldis! For those familiar with Piazzolla’s music, are there any specific techniques or harmonies you can anticipate him blending into his interpretation that will make it stand out from the other composers? Don’t forget to reserve your ticket to our next concert to find out!

Spring in San Francisco

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