Concerto for Guitar and Bandoneon by Piazzolla

Canadian guitarist Adam Cicchillitti with Denis Plante (bandoneon), Boris Brott (conductor), and the Orchestre classique de Montréal perform Concerto for Guitar and Bandoneon by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992). This comes via Cicchillitti’s YouTube channel.  The movements: Introduction, Milonga (3:56), Tango (9:42). Great playing by Cicchillitti with excellent rhythmic delivery and silky lines and phrasing throughout. Here’s what he mentions on his YouTube:

This video is from a live performance of the double concerto for guitar and bandoneon by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, performed on June 8, 2021 in Montreal, Québec at Salle Pierre-Mercure. Piazzolla is perhaps the most famous bandoneon player in history and was responsible for democratizing the instrument internationally. A student of famous pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, Piazzolla devoted his life to bringing the tango from the streets of Argentina into concert halls worldwide. His double concerto for guitar and bandoneon, “Homage à liège”, is one of two concerti that he wrote for his instrument. Piazzolla was also a prolific composer of music for guitar. It amazes me every time I open a new score written by Piazzolla; the composer wrote incredibly well and idiomatically for our instrument despite not being a native player of the guitar. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to perform this piece with the incredible Québecois bandoneon player Denis Plante and the Orchestre classique de Montréal, led by Maestro Boris Brott.

Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 94,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.

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