Various Artists - Fabulous Tango Collection (20 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Excellent Introduction To the World of Tango

QuestionMark | USA | 09/10/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I Salonisti is a classical music ensemble, who, like YoYo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, and other classical artists, felt compelled to release an album of tango music. As a classical music buff, I decided to find out why. So I listened to this album, and like millions of hapless others, became hopelessly and forever hooked on things "tango" -- tango music, tango books, bandoneons, street maps of Buenos Aires, etc.Seriously, this album is a wonderful compilation of tango music because it gives the novice a broad sampling of music from different periods. From tango standards such as 'La Cumparsita' and 'Uno' to the more rhythmically interesting (yet danceable) works of Horacio Salgan ("A Fuego Lento" and "Don Agustin Bardi") to Astor Piazzolla's "nuevo tango", exemplified by the last track on the album, "Contrabajissimo".Which brings up the never-ending brouhaha about Piazzolla's music and its lack of "danceability". First of all, the majority of tracks on this album are not by Piazzolla, and a couple of those that are, such as "Rio Sena", are very danceable. So if you buy the album to actually dance the dance, you'll have an ample supply of music, even if you skip all of Piazzolla's music.But more importantly, tango dancers need to keep in mind that Piazzolla was first and foremost a musician, not a choreographer. When a musician writes music, he or she intends for it to be listened to. If you care to dance to it, fine. But to reject Piazzolla's music because you can't dance to it is like throwing away a Picasso because it doesn't match your living room decor. This album affords the perfect opportunity for such persons to toss their dance shoes in the corner, sit back, and actually listen to his music -- maybe for the first time.Overall, this album should please any lover of tango music. The musicianship is first rate and the production quality is high."

Great intro to the tango

Jmark2001 | Florida | 06/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wanted a tango CD but was afraid of either getting some westernized music fit for aspiring ballroom dancers who could care less about authenticity or some cheaply put together collection trying to cash in on the Tango craze. Instead, I got an excellent album of various styles of tango that show the breadth of tango music. This is an album to listen to rather than dance to. It is a great album for a summer Sunday afternoon or an intimate dinner. The sound is excellent. The music here is by turns, emotional, sensuous, sad, proud, aggressive. The performances are wonderful. If you need an album of dancing music, forget this one. But if you want an album that shows the soul of Argentina in its native music, this can't be beat. This is authentic tango."

Classical, instrumental interpretations are a bit dreary

John A. Grasso | 09/28/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For the beginner, I recommend the "Forever Tango" soundtrack CD. This CD is okay if you like a classical interpretation without the lyrics. I found this CD somewhat "rainy-day" dreary. It is not easy to dance to this music, because the beat is not steady. The music does not fit the title, either. It is a European CD, not from Argentina."

Why I replaced this CD when it broke

Marc W. Abel | Dayton, Ohio | 03/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I see a title like "The Fabulous Tango Collection", visions of K-Tel are hard to drive out. Not helping is the tremendous assortment of C-rated ballroom music still on the market.

That said, this recording is the real thing. Granted, it's from Switzerland and not Argentina, but this is an RCA Victor release, not K-Tel.

You folks who, like me, are struggling to learn Smooth and Standard Tango might not use this recording for practice right away. It is anything but strict tempo; it's more like Puccini's Madama Butterfly in that one is challenged to find three contiguous measures at the same speed. Buy the album anyway, because you will be motivated to practice when you listen to it.

The featured ensemble, I Salonisti, is free of weak links. The four strings (two violins, cello, double bass) are solid, creative, flexible performers. Oscar Guidi's bandonen is marvelously articulated from track one forward.

The pianist Werner Giger merits his own paragraph. There are plenty of well-known, widely recorded pianists who play difficult repertoire yet have uneven, sloppy muscle control. Not Werner. He plays as if he's been playing Hanon muscle exercises for decades. It's flawless. No one else joins him for Flores Negras, and if you're like me you'll keep pressing the "back" button at the end of the song. I've gone looking for other recordings of his, but I haven't turned anything up yet.

As you listen, you'll want to observe that some of the pieces are not Tangos; they're actually Argentine Waltzes. I won't spoil the fun by saying which tracks they are, but if you're like me you'll go looking for other recordings with more of these once you've heard them.

I'm grateful the ensemble didn't put La Cumparsita first on the recording. Where I've been, it's way overplayed. But not by I Salonisti; this CD has La Cumparsita at its best. Nostalgico, on the other hand, is the perfect first track and offers the strings, bandonen, and piano their own opportunities to shine.

One reviewer mentions there is 10% of this recording that he doesn't like. I'm sure it's the last track, Contrabajissimo. This is a modern piece with 20th century dissonances and percussive effects that bring The Rite of Spring to mind. Yet this is the one piece I've heard my 15 month old toddler singing along with! It's her favorite, and I can see I'm going to REALLY like her when she gets older! It's a brilliant piece with some very lovely sections, but I'll confess it did take me several listenings to make it my own. It's also more than five minutes longer than any other piece on this CD.

Just short of 78 minutes, this recording is one of the best values around in terms of how much music is packed on a compact disc. Better still, nothing could have been left out. I have never replaced a damaged recording as quickly as I replaced this one."

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