20 PIAZZOLLA | ESTACIONES PORTEÑAS ∙ ACONCAGUA ∙ OBLIVION In your opinion, what is unique about Piazzolla's style? Piazzolla began with Carlos Gardel and the tango clásico, then created the nuevo tango, moving from a classical foundation towards a courser, more rough-edged form of expression, coloured by darker emotions than the tango intended for dancing. I spoke a great deal about this with the players, explaining why this music should not always be played “beautifully”. It was an interesting and new approach for them: ordinarily, they are taught to play as cleanly as possible, whereas here there are moments when the sound must deliberately be brutal. What this music expresses is very particular: the streets of Buenos Aires, poverty, and the composer’s own rage, this gruff, indomitable man. At the same time, there are ‘classical’ passages because he had passed through Nadia Boulanger’s school. He composed the Bandoneón Concerto in the year of her death, after she had died. Should we see it as a tribute? I cannot say. What is certain is that he succeeded in blending what came from her teaching with his own roots, and that fusion produced the 'Piazzolla sound.’
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