Astor Piazzolla’s name has become synonymous with tango, that epitome of sadness and melancholy expressed in dance and singing. Piazzolla laid the foundations for the worldwide renaissance of this cultural phenomenon. The Argentinean composer and bandonéon player rescued tango from being the clichéd dance form it had been reduced to during the Golden Twenties – Piazzolla set about reviving tango with an equal amount of courage and uncompromising endeavour. He mixed traditional tango with elements of jazz and classical music, inventing a new style in the process: tango nuevo.
Some tango aficionados celebrated Piazzolla as being a true innovator – others cursed him, calling him tango’s “gravedigger”. Regardless of the subjective assessment of his achievements, Piazzolla personified tango‘s zenith and in addition, became one of the most important composers of the twentieth century.
