Tomás Cotik, Martingale Ensemble, Ken Selden

Astor Piazzolla’s Nuevo tango transcends categories and represents an amalgam of international influences. All the arrangements in this album are of instrumental works that Piazzolla composed for his Quinteto Nuevo Tango. Most prominent is the Vivaldi-inspired Las cuatro estaciones porteñas (‘The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires’) reimagined in concerto style for solo violin and string orchestra by Leonid Desyatnikov. The seven other companion pieces, arranged by Ken Selden, use printed sources for structure but incorporate improvisations transcribed from original recordings made by Piazzolla and his band. On this, his third Piazzolla album for Naxos, internationally recognised violinist Tomás Cotik pays homage to his birth city of Buenos Aires.

Tomás Cotik’s album Piazzolla – Legacy (Naxos 8573789), featuring his own arrangements of music by his countryman, was nominated for an International Classical Music Award.

On Tango Nuevo (8573166): ‘Some of the music is sultry while other works are fast, rhythmic, and ornamented to show the exquisite virtuosity of Cotik and Lin. They finish with a rousing dance called Libertango. It is a perfect finale for this [disc] of catchy, toe-tapping music. Many other artists have recorded Piazzolla’s works, but not with violin and piano. The sound on this disc is clear and the performances precise. I think that lovers of tango music will definitely want this fascinating disc’ (Fanfare).

Conductor Ken Selden has worked with composers Pierre Boulez, John Cage and Tan Dun, and has conducted world premieres of music by Peter Lieberson and Michael Nyman.

• Las cuatro estaciones portenas; Chin Chin; Resurreccion del Angel; Mumuki; Soledad; 2. Satz aus der "Suite Troileana"; Celos; Fugata