Op. 34 – Un Buen Piola Porteño

This piece was one of the more fortunate dividends resulting from my decision in 1999 to attempt to learn the Argentine tango. While never mastering the intricacies of the dance, I became acquainted with the music of Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Guastavino and Horacio Salgan. Inspired by these examples, I set out to write my own tango, and of course it grew beyond that to become a piece about tangos. It is constructed in an arch form, in which the three tango themes are recapitulated in reverse order. A slower central episode, marked out of body experience denotes the moment when the dance transcends its physical limits.