Gryphon Trio, the outstanding Canadian string trio, has never shied away from music outside the standard repertoire, and this selection of contemporary tangos by Latin American composers further broadens the scope of their reach. The bulk of the CD is devoted to
Astor Piazzolla in arrangements by
José Bragato and
Hilario Durán.
Piazzolla's work is so durable that it thrives in any number of incarnations, and these arrangements (and performances) make a string trio seem like a completely natural medium for the music's feral energy. The
Gryphon Trio plays with all the languor or recklessly passionate abandon the music requires; the players sound like they have this music in their blood. The players get both the rhythmic fluidity and punchy incisiveness that give
Piazzolla's tangos so much life, and they are fluent in bending the tone to give the music an authentic flavor of folk-based music. The selections include two multi-movement works,
Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, and four of the composer's "Angel" pieces. There are also two works by Cuban composer
Hilario Durán that are similar to
Piazzolla's in their style and energy level, and a lovely transcription of the
Ginastera song Milongo. The sound is clear and clean and exceptionally vivid and practically leaps out at the listener.