Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27041 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-05-02
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Colour, DVD-Video, Full Screen, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 213 minutes

Synopsis
The man and his music with contributions by Daniel Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma and Gary Burton.

Customer Reviews

Solid documentary on the tango killer
This DVD contains an extended (106 minute) version of Mike Dibb's biographical documentary "Tango Maestro" about Astor Piazzolla that was recently broadcast. It features a string of insightful interviews with important people from his personal and/or musical life, including his children, his second wife Laura, lover and singer Amelita Baltar, French accordeonist Richard Galliano, vibe man Gary Burton, several sidemen from Piazzolla's ensembles and many more. Strange to say, the maestro himself delivers his lines in the goodfellows English that he learnt in New York's Little Italy in the twenties and thirties. The film does a good job of outlining Piazzolla's musical development and career and is graced by some pretty rare footage. This includes a fragment from the film in which the little Astor appeared alongside Carlos Gardel and several televised concert performances, including one with Amelita Baltar singing their smash hit "Balada para un loco."
Personally I missed Kip Hanrahan, the producer of Piazzolla's great late studio recordings, and Italian singer Milva, with whom Piazzolla wowed Europe in the eighties. Also I didn't find the "next generation" towards the end of the film terribly interesting, but those are minor quibbles. On the whole the film manages a fine balance between biography and musical insights.
A massive 54 minutes of worthwhile interview fragments that didn't make it to the film are included as a bonus, as is Piazzolla's last filmed performance with his sextet, in the Bristol BBC Studios in 1989. While this has long been available on audio CD, it's great to see the music being made. Another bonus is a recent performance - sans Piazzolla - of Milonga del Angel.
All in all there is some three hours of fascinating material on this one DVD. A great package for any tango nuevo fan.
If your appetite is whetted, I suggest you pick up the excellent Piazzolla biography by Maria Susana Azzi and Simon Collier.