PIAZZOLLA:TIMELESS TANGO:ALFREDO MARCUCCI(bandoneon)/ENSEMBLE PIACEVOLE

With its string quintet accompaniment, this disc may seem at first glance to be one of the many recent attempts to push the tango fusion music of Argentina's Astor Piazzolla in a classical direction. It has elements of that trend, but really Timeless Tango is closer to Argentine roots than most other contemporary tango recordings. The key to the performance is the presence of a bandoneon, the large concertina that was Piazzolla's instrument and provided the defining sonority of tango music itself. The bandoneon here is played by Alfredo Marcucci, an Argentine musician (like Piazzolla of Italian background) living in Belgium. He is accompanied by the Ensemble Piacevole -- two violins, viola, cello, and double bass. The presence of the bass helps restore some of the rhythmic elements present in the traditional tango ensemble. The overall texture is smoother with just strings, but with Marcucci the music just feels right. The group plays several Piazzolla standards (Oblivion, Libertango as well as some less common numbers Tristeza de un doble A, Melodia in la menor). Marcucci also looks back beyond Piazzolla to some music by composers of the classic phase of the Argentine tango, as well as including a work by contemporary Belgian composer Dirk Brosse. The refined, sensual despair of tango at its best suffuses this recording, which should appeal not only to tango fans but also to the millions of buyers of the Buenos Aires Social Club recordings of old Cuban dance music.