On September 6, 1987, tango grand-maestro Astor Piazzolla gave a concert at the peak of his career in New York City's Central Park, resulting in what many critics consider to be the definitive live recording of Piazzolla with his ensemble. That ensemble included Pablo Ziegler, the Argentine pianist and composer who helped shape the modern tango. Now Ziegler and acclaimed violinist Lara St. John offer a special concert program that celebrates Piazzolla's famous Central Park Concert.
The program recreates most of the original Central Park program, which includes many of the late Argentine composer's most beloved works, as well as exquisite compositions by Ziegler. The line-up features the same instrumentation as Piazzolla's iconic New Tango Quintet, including Ziegler, who played in Piazzolla's quintet for more than a decade.
Ziegler and St. John debuted this program at Central Park's Naumburg Orchestral Concerts series in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Piazzolla's Central Park Concert. The 2012 concert drew the largest crowd in the series' 107 years. Ziegler and St. John have since toured the program to the University of Georgia in Athens, the University of Colorado in Boulder, and the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Writes New York Music Daily about the Naumburg concert: “They dug deeply into the material right from the start, with a brightly glimmering, hard-hitting version of 'Michaelangelo', then played up the jazz and ragtime aspects of 'Muerte Del Angel', then brought the lights down with the dirge 'Introduccion Del Angel', bandoneon and violin sailing over the murk below. [...] The audience responded thunderously.”
Photo by Shigeto Imura. Download hi-res version here
Photo options for Lara St. John can be found here.
"Today, as the unequalled heir to Piazzolla's Nuevo Tango, Ziegler has been integral in the music's continued evolution."
Lexington Herald-Leader
"Lara St. John happens to be a volcanic violinist with a huge, fabulous tone that pours out of her like molten lava. She has technique to burn and plays at a constant high heat."
The Los Angeles Times
* Lara St. John appears courtesy of Judson Management *