"Born as a dance between
men waiting for their moment of pleasure in houses of ill fame,
the tango has developed into a form of music which has become
part and parcel of the variety of Paris, New York, Tokyo and,
not least, Berlin. Today, tango is a memory of something we never
had, a recollection of places never visited. Even so, they are
missed all the same".
It doesn't happen too often that you come across such a unique
and interesting recording. Commonly, the bandoneon is associated
with the tango orchestra, but on this CD Paul Raackow presents
himself as a soloist; the fact that Piazzolla's arrangements
also included works for solo bandoneon is not so well known.
Even its cover gives very good and interesting information:
"The history of the bandoneon
and the way it is played began in Germany, the birthplace of
concertina. It was manufactured from approximately 1857 at the
instigation of the person whom it takes its name - Mr. Band
from Krefeld. The bandoneon was originally an instrument which
was 'programmed' for popular melodies and mainly simple interpretation
of this music.
There are a number of stories
which relate to how this instrument found its way to Buenos
Aires at the turn of the century. According to one, it was pawned
by boozing and insolvent German seamen in a sailor's pub, whereby
a guitar player began learning how to play the instrument the
same evening. Argentina and Uruguay were the scenes of anarchic
research carried out into the new instrument and its advantages
and disadvantages. Consequently, it was incorporated in the
most fashionable form of music of the time: the tango. The tango
itself played a crucial role in the sound experience created
by the tango.
In the 1940's the bandoneon
reached the peak of its popularity in Argentine dance music,
while German bandoneon associations were fighting for their
survival. Attempts to restore interest in the bandoneon after
the war failed. Only after the efforts of those who initiated
a revival of the Argentine tango (initially Piazzolla followed
by Mosalini and Saluzzi) are we reminded that the instrument
which has become a symbol of tango music is actually a concertina
from on ore mining region in Germany".
Paul Raackow is a well known German
bandoneon player. The time he spent in Argentina working and
learning from professional tango musicians such as Nestor Marconi,
Osvaldo Montes and Rudolfo Mederos helped him further develop
his understanding of the 'Tango Argentina'. He is the founder
and arranger of the internationally renowned tango orchestra
"Tango Real" and is actively promoting the bandoneon by appearing
at many international festivals.
I very much liked Paul's own words
about this CD: " Mi Refugio tells the story of a very intimate
tango, for the player and his instrument only - a 'secret' tango
which only confides its story of loss and sadness in a good
friend......"
Well, after such thorough information
supplied by the artist himself, there is not much left to say.
I'm sure that this highly intimate, passionate, seductive music
and brilliant performance will find its way to your heart as
well.
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