Pulsación [2003 Circular Moves]

Astor Piazzolla helped redefine tango, and this digitally remastered effort showcases that notion in rather superb fashion. Here, the artist's game plan relates to a film by Uruguayan painter Carlos Paez Vilaro. These tracks emanate from sessions recorded in the late '60s, featuring Piazzolla performing on the bandoneon along with strings, percussionists, and more. Throughout, the listener is treated to sonorous string passages and regally stated themes. The artists perform with a melodramatic flair, amid emotive sentiment and melodiously articulated lyricism. Yet, Piazzolla's compositions and arrangements are steeped in knotty time signatures as he draws upon a hodgepodge of disparate elements, resulting in one cohesive entity. Piazzolla's cinematic musical score translates into a complex work, featuring a bevy of memorably enacted themes and mind-bending orchestrations. A strong effort indeed, despite the rather flat sonic characteristics, which could emanate from the condition of the source material. However, the music supersedes these minor flaws.