Piazzolla: Cien Años. Mosalini. Ben-Dor, Pro Arte. Centaur.
Bandoneón virtuso Juanjo Mosalini, also an accomplished composer and arranger, is joined by Gisèle Ben-Dor for another release marking Astor Piazzolla’s 100th birthday year. The dualities of Piazzolla’s music are underscored—classical discipline vs. spontaneous impulse, Baroque angularity vs. the sensual melancholia of nuevo tango. The program opens with a performance of Pizzolla’s 1979 Concerto for Brandoneón that, thanks to Mosalini’s fluent virtuosity and conductor Ben-Dor’s propulsive support, is as effective as any I’ve heard. Four world premiere recordings follow the Concerto, including two original works by Mosalini. Take It, Play It is dedicated to Piazzolla’s electric guitarist, Tomás Gubitsch, and Cien Años, commissioned by Ben-Dor, honors Mosalini’s grandfather and also serves to mark the Piazzolla centenary. Mosalini’s music channels the style and mood of the earlier Argentinian composer without seeming imitative. The album’s highlights are two Mosalini arrangements. The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires is a 24-minute suite based on four stand-alone pieces conceived for Piazzolla’s quintet, and the disc closes with an exhilarating version of Libertango. The program has been vividly recorded by Brad Michael with the bandoneon forward in the mix, though not oversized.
the absolute sound, October 2021, Andrew Quint