Cien Años: Winnipeg’s CLASSIC107 celebrates the legacy and music of Astor Piazzolla with conductor Gisele Ben-Dor
“Cien Años” is not only an exquisitely expressive celebration marking the centennial of Piazzolla’s birth, the CD honors more than one man’s immeasurable musical contributions. For Uruguayan-born conductor Gisèle Ben-Dor, a fierce champion of Latin American composers, equally important as paying homage to the Argentine nuevo tango legend was capturing the uniquely mesmerizing performance of bandoneón player/arranger/composer Juanjo Mosalini on Piazzolla’s most ambitious work-the Aconcagua concerto-and showcasing an exciting new piece she commissioned from this extraordinary musician. Mosalini’s title composition, Cien Años, is in turn a heartfelt 100th birthday tribute to his own grandfather and the legacy of his family’s four generations of bandoneónists.
Winnipeg’s CLASSIC107 – Chris Wolf writes….2021 marked the 100th Anniversary of the great bandoneon virtuoso, composer and ambassador for Argentinian tango, Astor Piazzolla. What better way to mark this milestone, than with music by Piazzolla, and music inspired by him!
Gisele Ben-Dor is and American-Israeli conductor, who has travelled the world conducting and exposing audiences to the wonders of Latin American music. Born and raised in Uruguay, she has grown up with this music and has been championing its rhythms, its textures and its ability to truly transport the listener to the warmth of Latin America.
Ben-Dor has collaborated with the amazing Argentinian bandoneon virtuoso and composer Juanjo Mosalini, to create a recording that consists of both Mosalini’s new music for bandoneon and orchestra, and the music of Piazzolla.
Originally the album was meant to feature Mosalini’s music which is heavily influenced by the sounds of Piazzolla, but as Ben-Dor explains “at some point Mosalini said ‘I have this piece that I started to write for my grandfather called Cien Años’…and then the idea of the Piazzolla anniversary came to mind and that was it…we were really recording the music of Piazzolla, one way or the other.”
Ben-Dor and Mosalini recorded Cien Años with the Pro Arte Orchestra of Boston, which is an orchestra that consists of Boston’s best freelance musicians. Ben-Dor was Music Director of the orchestra for ten years, and continues to conduct frequently as Conductor Emeritus. She has conducted many works by Latin American composers with the orchestra, and the playing on the recording reflects the Orchestra’s ability to capture the magic of the Latin American feel and mood of the music.
Many of the orchestral arrangements have been done by Mosalini, and it is Mosalini who is front-and centre on the disc playing his bandoneon with a phenomenal virtuosity that would give Piazzolla a run for his money. Of particular interest, is Mosalini’s arrangement of Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” The four pieces were composed as individual pieces by Piazzolla and were never meant to be performed as a suite. Mosalini takes Piazzolla a step further and has puts the four pieces together as a suite, having the pieces flow seamlessly into the next.
For any lover of Latin American music and the tango, Cien Años is a must have recording! For all those who live in cooler climates, and want to feel the warmth of Latin America, give this disc a listen and you will be transported to the warm streets of Argentina.
