Tangos by Astor Piazzolla

Not only a homage to the Argentinian Astor Piazzolla, but also to Nadia Boulanger! For without her, the master of tango nuevo might never have existed in this form.

When Piazzolla came to her in Paris in 1954 to become a "serious" composer, she found influences of Stravinsky, Bartók, and Ravel in his many submitted works, but lacked a distinctive style.

"Like an FBI agent," Piazzolla wrote in his memoirs, she questioned him about his background and influences, finally discovering his secret passion for tango and his bandoneon playing and saying: "'You idiot! That's Piazzolla!' And I took all the music I had written over the last ten years and sent it to hell. I studied with her for 18 months, which helped me like 18 years..."