'Cuartentango' Plays Authentic Argentine Tango, Showcases Greenwich Symphony Musicians

By Linda Phillips.

Where better to hear the passionate strains of authentic Argentine Tango, one of that country’s indelible cultural markers, than at the Consulate General of Argentina in New York City? (Except in Buenos Aires, of course.)

The remarkable Cuartetango, a group headed by Leonard Suarez Paz, who also plays violin with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, is an accomplished and world traveled group that is sustaining and spreading the authentic Tango music and dance for which Argentina is known. From the marvelous Tango Nuevo of Astor Piazzola to a strikingly modern “Metropolis”, composed by guest bandoneon player Daniel Binelli, the concert held an elegant, by-invitation-only crowd spellbound and enraptured.

First chair cellist of the Greenwich Symphony Daniel Miller, who has played and traveled with the group for eight years, joined Mr. Suarez Paz, who performed both violin and voice, Hector Omar Falcon, violin, and Ron Lawrence, viola.

Opening with a film of the Grammy-nominated group’s performances at the ceremony, its concerts at Lincoln Center, at Buenos Aires’ Teatro do Colon, and on PBS, the group visually informed the audience of its recent performance history, which included tango dancing by Mr. Paz and his talented wife Olga Suarez Paz. Then came the live performance, the music like no other. Mr. Suarez Paz welcomed and addressed the audience between pieces.

Tiempo Complido opened with pizzicato violin and viola in syncopation, percussive, then led on to milky, insinuating cadences, a cello passage by Mr. Miller, a re-acceleration and more struck percussion, (created by the musicians actually striking their instruments), before an upscale ending. Recuerdo accelerated and decelerated in tempo, the musicians striking and sawing at their instruments for the wonderful sliding effect unique to tango. Milonga (word for stylized dancing) de los Amores was percussive, with little shrieks and ahs uttered, cellist Miller providing a strong beat.

Daniel Binelli took the stage for the remarkable Metropolis, an almost-classical reading of tango, with dissonances akin to modern classical works of the 1940’s and 1950’s, evoking the noises of the city. Master Binelli’s instrument looked like a

giant caterpillar, and rested on his lap. The work slithered and slid to its ending.

Astor Piazzola’s wonderful La Muerte del Angel began as a counterpoint round, went to 3/4 time, as Mr. Suarez Paz sang the sweet, heartfelt song against an instrumental crescendo, then a caesura. The deeply romantic Escualo, dedicated to his father F. Suarez Paz, was a deeply emotional recitativo, sung feelingly by Mr. Suarez Paz.

Tango music is rife with chords like no other: strident, pleading, longing, dissonant, all performed by Cuartetango with energy, passion and tenderness.

Consul General Eduardo Almirantearena and his wife were front row, and led a standing ovation. The concert was followed by a cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres amid an art exhibition by two Argentine painters.

The entire program was a tribute to the late Horacio Ferrer.

For information about Cuartetango’s upcoming performances, go to www.cuartetango.com/CUARTETANGO/HOME.html.

Contributed photo: Cuartetango musicians Leonardo Suarez Paz, Hector Omar Falcon. Daniel Miller and Ron Lawrence after their encore.

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Linda Phillips’ classical music reviews have won four “Best Column of the Year” awards from the Connecticut Press Club, and have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism. She is the author of the novel, “To The Highest Bidder,” also nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.