Piazzolla is perhaps the greatest name in the genre of tango music. Born in Argentina, 1921, he had studied music composition under Ginestera and Boulanger. His opus, comprising more than 1000 works, a characteristic career and an undoubtedly Argentinian flavor, continues to influence the best musicians in the world of all generations. For example, the violinist Gidon Kremer, the cellist Yo-Yo-Ma, the Kronos Quartet, the pianist Emanuel Ax and numerous chamber music and symphonic orchestras. A career characterized by his aesthetic power and his unique style, almost in a league of its own. His music is unmatched; when we listen to it we are obligated to question the roots and say, “This is Piazzolla”. It is all about the “language” he created, which is unique and can be identified as his and only his. With hetergenous and rebellious elements (Jazz, classical music, experiments in sound) he produced a unique music under the drastic pulse of his Tango.

I only got to know Piazzolla when my fellow classmates had already fallen in love with his music for years. The first Piazzolla piece I got to know was the sweet and seductive Libertango. Hearing CDs of Piazzolla’s own playing of bandoneon amazed me even more. Later in the Hong Kong Music Festival 2001, I was overwhelmed by the power of the dance when I watched Piazzolla’s operita Maria de Bueno Aires. When I was in a summer trip to University of Carlifornia, Los Angeles, I searched and seized all Piazzolla scores I could get. I can still remember the outlook of Schoenberg Music Library where I discovered Piazzolla’s reduced score of Revolucionario.

Revolucionario is originally written for Piazzolla’s most favourite combination quintet of violin, guitar, bandoneon, piano and electric bass. The size and instrumentation of the group is similar to a Jazz quintet, yet the use of bandoneon and violin contributes to the unique sound of tango. Piazzolla has always been enthusiastic to Bach’s music. In this piece, we can see an amazing mixture of the passionate and vivid Latin American rhythm and the contrapuntal texture of Bach. The name Revolucionario reminds me of the famous Argentinean revolutionist El Che Guevara. We don’t know whether these two great men have met. However, tango and revolution is perhaps the first things we would think of when we talk about Argentina.

This piano duet transcription is highly loyal to the original music. Yet some small changes are made to fit it for the instrumentation. Arranging it for piano duet has been for my leisure, yet I learned a lot from his composition. I wish you would be delighted by this little arrangement of a masterpiece.

Reference

http://www.piazzolla.org