MAYA BEISER + PABLO ZIEGLER:
“CANYENGUE, THE SOUL OF TANGO”
CELLO/PIANO DUO PLAYS ASTOR PIAZZOLLA + MORE
Arrangements and originals by Ziegler, a 10-year veteran of Piazzolla’s band


Latin Grammy-winning pianist/composer Pablo Ziegler and boundary-bursting cellist Maya Beiser perform Canyengue, the Soul of Tango, a program of rare and well-known compositions by Astor Piazzolla and original works by Ziegler.

The term ‘Canyengue,’ pronounced “Can-jen-geh,” refers to the early style of tango – raw, provocative, sensual – that developed on the streets of the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires in the 20s and 30s. Says Beiser, “Much like Swing in American music, Tango has evolved from a simple form of dance into a sophisticated and complex genre of music.” That tranformation is exemplified in this program, which centers on the work of Astor Piazzolla, who revolutionized the genre with his brilliant, classically-inspired compositions.

Ziegler was a member of Piazzolla’s New Tango Quintet for ten years, and instrumental in refining the sound that elevated tango music from dance clubs to the concert hall. Ziegler carries that legacy forward in his own compelling music, which has propelled him to international prominence. Beiser, born in Israel to an Argentinian father and a French mother, grew up listening to tango; in 1999 she payed tribute to Piazzolla with her acclaimed recording Oblivión, with pianist Anthony de Mare.

“I grew up in an Argentinean Kibbutz in Israel,” says Beiser. “My father, a music lover and avid record collector, had a vast library of tango music, from street tangos to the more sophisticated Nuevo Tangos of Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla. This music was my connection to my father’s family and history in Argentina. Though we were in Israel, we would spend long weekends drinking Maté, grilling Asado [Argentinian barbecue], listening to Tango, and listening to my father’s stories about Gauchos and riding horses in the Pampas. I love the immediacy, rawness, and earthiness of this music as well as its sensuality and melancholy.”Along with Piazzolla classics like Libertango and Adíos Nonino, Beiser and Ziegler perform some lesser-known works, including the propulsive and virtuosic Escualo, the stately Milonga Sin Palabras, and the Bach-inspired Fuga y Mysterio, all newly arranged by Ziegler for cello and piano. They also play a selection of Ziegler’s compositions, including his evocative Milonga del Adios and his jazz-infused Places. In addition, Beiser takes the solo spotlight with a signature piece, Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel.

ABOUT PABLO ZIEGLER

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin GRAMMY winning pianist Pablo Ziegler artfully blends classic tango rhythms with jazz improvisations, adding a new voice to the tango lexicon. Howard Reich of The Chicago Tribune writes, “There’s no question that Ziegler takes the tango to levels of sophistication and refinement probably undreamed of by Piazzolla”, and Eric Salzman of Stereo Review, writing of Ziegler’s CD, Tango Romance, affirmed that the CD “solidifies his (Ziegler’s) claim to be the outstanding representative of the nuevo tango in his generation.” In addition to this critical acclaim, Ziegler’s 2005 release Bajo Cero won the 2005 Latin Grammy Award for Best Tango album of the year and in 2008, his album Buenos Aires Report made the final list of nominees for the same honor.

In 1978, Mr. Ziegler was invited to join Astor Piazzolla’s New Tango Quintet, and for over the next ten years, he performed with this group throughout Europe, Japan and North America, at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, Sapporo Jazz Festival, Central Park SummerStage, and the Istanbul Festival, among many others.

Pablo Ziegler formed his own Quartet for New Tango in 1990 and has been touring extensively throughout the world with his trio, quartet and quintet. Performances in recent seasons have included Carnegie Hall (as part of the JVC Jazz Festival with guest artists Paquito D’Rivera, Joe Lovano and Gary Burton), the Savannah Music Festival, Blue Note, UCLA, the University of Texas-Austin, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in Maryland, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas with pianist Christopher O’Riley in the duo Los Tangueros, the New World Symphony in Miami, New York’s Knitting Factory with Emanuel Ax, the Cape May Music Festival in New Jersey, and the San Francisco Jazz Festival among many others.

Ziegler’s quintet has also been performing annually at the Jazz Standard in NYC since 2002 in the Tango Meets Jazz series produced by Pat Philips, with guest artists including Paquito D’Rivera, Stefon Harris, David Sanchez, Randy Brecker, and Kenny Garrett. Important international engagements have included the Umbria Jazz Festival, The Lapataia Jazz Festival in Punta del Este (Uruguay), and the Verbier Festival (Switzerland), as well as performances throughout Europe. He has done 16 European tours to date.

A new program, Beyond Tango, was created by Pablo Ziegler for the Miami International Piano Festival in 2009. The evening includes works for two pianos progressing up to a large chamber ensemble playing compositions of Pablo Ziegler with some of his own arrangements of the Piazzolla 2-piano pieces which he had recorded with Emanuel Ax for Sony Classical, produced by Ettore Stratta. This program was performed at the Mondavi Center in April 2011.
His trio continues to tour extensively throughout the US and abroad including reent performances at the Lied Center in Nebraska, Arts! San Antonio, the Belleayre Music Festival in upstate New York, and Icicle Creek in Washington state. His Quintet also performed recently at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston, TX with special guest, Claudia Acuña.

ABOUT ASTOR PIAZZOLLA

The year 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of Astor Piazzolla’s passing. In many ways, he is a forerunner to the current generation of composers who are working to fuse popular and classical styles and techniques. Born in 1921 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, he grew up in New York City. He started lessons on the bandoneon (Argentinian accordion) at the age of eight; a few years later, he began piano studies with Bela Wilda, a protégé of Rachmaninoff, who introduced him to Bach’s music. He returned to his native country in 1936, and at seventeen, launched his professional career by playing in tango orchestras. Three years later, he began composition lessons with Alberto Ginastera. His efforts to introduce the harmonic complexities of classical music into the tango were met with some hostility, as were concert works incorporating the bandoneon, then considered a street instrument.

In the early 1950s, he set aside the tango to compose concert works, going to Paris in 1954 to study with Nadia Boulanger. With her encouragement, he returned to the tango, and upon his return to Argentina, expanded the genre in ever-more creative and adventurous directions, experimenting with harmony, form, and instrumentation. By the time he passed in 1992, he had composed film soundtracks, chamber and orchestral scores, and popular hits. His collaborations included projects with Gary Burton, Kronos Quartet, Gerry Mulligan, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Lalo Schifrin.