Kultrum

Amazon.com
Bandoneonist and composer Dino Saluzzi has the long shadow of Astor Piazzolla to contend with, and on Kultrum he extends his countryman's chamber music explorations with the Munich-based Rosamunde String Quartet. Saluzzi plays with the quartet as his orchestra, keeping a parallel track for the bandoneon to play rhythmically against the longer violin and cello tones and then reverse roles, himself playing magnificent sheets as the strings jut out. But even "Salón de tango" sounds off to the left of anything recognizably tango, with puzzle pieces laying about that create the dance energy only when taken together. It's hard to get out from under Piazzolla's shadow with a bandoneon in hand, and while Saluzzi is certainly not trying to skirt influences, he moves quickly into a territory where the strings have diverse roles here, making the eight pieces feel more genuinely chamber-like than some of Piazzolla's works. In any case, Kultrum is undeniably an important move in the small circle of chamber music for bandoneon. --Andrew Bartlett

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