Pleasure and Pain Tango is “in”, as a dance and in the concert hall. And, you can even study the tango. The department of world music at the conservatory in Rotterdam, the Netherlands offers its own tango course of study. That is where they first met: The bandoneon player Michael Dolak, the violinist Susanne Cordula Welsch, the double bass player Frances Dorling and the pianist Judy Ruks. They have been on tour to the international concert halls as the "Cuarteto Rotterdam" for three years and have just released their second CD that they recorded in a sound studio in Osnabrück. "That is why we are so excited to be able to play at the Blue Note in Osnabrück today." At the concert for the Festival Musica Viva, Adinda Meertins from The Hague will play bass as one of the core musicians. Nevertheless, the way the four young musicians interact with each other in their play is excellent right from the start. They are unique in such a way that they play the traditional tango pieces using subtle arrangements so that it sounds like you are hearing the piece for the very first time, even the famous "El Choclo" composed by Angel Villoldo in 1900. The quartet does not sound academic at all. On the contrary, they play with true feeling and do an excellent job of achieving the tango-typical tone of melancholy, desire and defiance. It is obvious that the three women have been taught classical music and they possess stupendous technique, just like the bandoneon player Dolak. Therefore, their tango comes across as less popular; it sounds more like highly expressive artistic music. Their concert takes us through the history of the tango: Besides all the melancholy, that are special pieces from the forties, the golden tango era in Buenos Aires, and pieces of jolly dance music. On the other hand, the compositions by Astor Piazzolla serve up the deep pain with the rhythmic percussion sounds played by the Quartet. Elegantly restrained temperament and subtle conclusions give their style its own, unique profile. And, whoever missed the "Cuarteto Rotterdam" in the Blue Note, will have another opportunity to hear them on 17 November in the Piesberger Gesellschaftshaus. Martina Binnig |