Piazzólla: María de Buenos Aires
Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Christopher Sprenger
Sprenger unearths a vein of sadness in the score that is easy to overlook amid its bravado, and his more classical approach pointedly reminds us both of Piazzolla’s debt to Bach and of the work’s...
Piazzólla: María de Buenos Aires
Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Christopher Sprenger
Purchase product
Sprenger unearths a vein of sadness in the score that is easy to overlook amid its bravado, and his more classical approach pointedly reminds us both of Piazzolla’s debt to Bach and of the work’s...
About
Piazzolla himself likened María to the tango and its historical ups and downs, which is probably the best way of understanding how the piece was received, alongside the fact that it embodied a musical voice that was unique in the second half of the 20th century, indeed in the New Music scene as a whole. 'I learnt something: to be patient, to be self-critical, to co-ordinate reflection with passion. Now I am told: That is a different Piazzolla, but that is not the case. I am the same man, but I have reached a synthesis', said Piazzolla.
Contents and tracklist
- Daniel Bonilla-Torres (narrator), Lothar Hensel (bandoneon), Mariska van der Sande (flute), Mikhail Ovrutsky (violin), Grigori Alumyan (cello), Róbert Grondžel (double bass), Christian Kiefer (guitar), Thomas Wise (piano), Johannes Mertes (tenor), Luciana Mancini (mezzo-soprano)
- Bonn Beethoven Orchestra
- Christopher Sprenger
- Daniel Bonilla-Torres (narrator), Lothar Hensel (bandoneon), Mariska van der Sande (flute), Mikhail Ovrutsky (violin), Grigori Alumyan (cello), Róbert Grondžel (double bass), Christian Kiefer (guitar), Thomas Wise (piano), Luciana Mancini (mezzo-soprano), Johannes Mertes (tenor)
- Bonn Beethoven Orchestra
- Christopher Sprenger
Awards and reviews
June 2019
Sprenger unearths a vein of sadness in the score that is easy to overlook amid its bravado, and his more classical approach pointedly reminds us both of Piazzolla’s debt to Bach and of the work’s antecedents in Weill’s Dreigroschenoper and Mahagonny… Mancini’s bravura way with ‘Yo soy María’ [bristles] with energy and courage.
July 2019
Bonilla-Torres is subtly understated, blessed with a voice you’d be happy to hear working its way through the Buenos Aires telephone directory…[Mancini] is equally good, her nicotine-stained vocals conveying a semi-detached fatalism that makes María dangerously compelling…The documentation, text and translation are first-rate. So if you fancy María de Buenos Aires typeset in Opera Bold, this is for you too.
Opera Now May 2019
María is sung by mezzo Luciana Mancini with low-key passion. Christopher Sprenger conducts with precise and snappy rhythms that also allow some sway.
