Fuga y misterio
I discovered this album back in April of 2021; it’s one of those I marked in Roon with a ❤️, but hadn’t remembered much about it, save for the dramatic photo on the cover.
And yes, sometimes things age well. In my recent quest to enjoy near-field listening, some albums really benefit from close listening, with an incredible soundstage and detail; in other cases, I think albums benefit from me sitting ten feet behind on my sofa. This is one of those albums that benefits from near-field in my room.
It’s not the first album to combine Piazzolla and Bach. La Chimera is a chamber ensemble, including harpsichord, combined with, of all things, if the cover didn’t give it away? Marimba and vibraphone! The marimba is one of my favorite instruments. Probably why I enjoy Reich’s Nagoya Marimbas so much.
The first seven and a half minutes are an orchestration of the toccata and fugue BWV 565 featuring the marimba. It works; there are moments when Simone Rubino’s playing is tack sharp and technically perfect. Great way to whet our appetites for what’s next.
Verano porteño follows, complete with bandoneón. The stereo separation of the ensemble is ideally captured, across both channels, with both the marimba and bandoneón presented clearly within this texture. Their position in the soundstage is nicely precise.
The instrument is changed to vibraphone for the performance of Bach’s Ciacona from BWV 1004. I’ve heard this on marimba before, but this is my first exposure to the piece on a vibraphone (admittedly, not my favorite percussion instrument, although one I’ve used, and do like bowed). There’s an association with this instrument for me with holiday music, the metallic aspect and its free ringing evoking a particular effect. My own bias aside, Rubino’s interpretation for me is engaging and is driven, I think, by the piece’s own terrain of gravitas. His supreme talent comes out as part of the show, and it’s that perfection that left me smiling.
The titular piece, track 5, is also commanded by the sound of the vibraphone. When the orchestra returns to play with Rubino, we can’t help but take notice again about how well this album sounds. It’s a damn shame that more albums can’t sound this good. It elevates the music’s effects upon us.
The Bach Concerto, BWV 1042, originally written for the violin, but also arranged by Bach for the harpsichord, feels a bit out of place in the context of the other pieces. The “sound” is ideally matched to the piece that preceded it on the album, however the flavor of Bach’s writing feels a bit too optimistic and I dare say less dramatic than the music of Piazzolla. A couple minutes in, however, you may have forgotten about the nuevo tango, as you become enraptured by the range of dynamics that are possible from the vibraphone.
The final piece is written by Leonardo Teruggi, and despite its title Marimbando also features the vibraphone. The Chimera’s double bass player composed this piece which well-captures the spirit of Piazzolla’s own style of tango nuevo.
Despite this composer being the least recognized of those on the recording, his piece, sadly just less than 5 minutes long, is one of the real stars on this album.
This is an amazingly satisfying recording—combining really good music with expert performances. Adding to its value is the quality of the recording itself. It’s totally possible to lose yourself in the luxury of this album’s sound while simultaneously admiring Rubino’s technique. Well deserving of my ❤️.
