This Toronto-based string quartet has released their version of Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires or Cuatro estaciones porteñas combined with Robert Carli’s Four Seasons of Toronto, completed in 2026. The ensemble starts with Autumn as the composer intended by Piazzolla and the last two tracks cover Carli’s new composition. The quartet, it should be noted, is made up of a single violin, viola, cello, and double bass.
The Piazzolla set should be familiar to many and of course is written in his nuevo tango style. Carli’s music is not tango music, and as such, offers a very different kind of musical experience.
The Four Seasons of Toronto, commissioned by the ensemble, is presented in spring-summer in track 5 and autumn-winter in track 6. There’s a lot of hand knocking on the double bass, I’m assuming, and the piece seems to exploit the individual voices of each performer. The opening of the piece gives attention to the bass. The harmonic support from the upper strings, played quietly, perhaps needed to be brought out a bit more? But as the freeze from winter disappears, I very much liked Carli’s music and the performances seemed to align with that same enthusiasm. Autumn was more challenging but I liked the satisfying harmonies that come with Winter.
The album offers a dry sound with good stereo staging and we’re definitely in the room with the performers. While I wouldn’t characterize the sound as an audiophile recording, there’s something palpable about being there with the musicians. The downside is that the depth of the soundstage deters from the experience. But the closeness is something I admire and this one worked better for me on loudspeakers than headphones. The opening of Autumn-Winter by Carli offers an instrumental timbre and sound that comes off metallic in a bad way; pushed back a bit, with more of the recording space captured, might have offered something ultimately more supportive of the cello’s solo.
This album, maybe the sound, but also the count-off at the start of Otoño by Piazzolla, felt informal. Like I wasn’t in a concert hall, but rather hanging out with these musicians at a rehearsal. The lack of formality I think worked well for all of the Piazzolla movements. There are some excellent, and even more polished performances of the Piazzolla with full orchestra, but this version for me offers something more immediate and our closeness to the performers makes you feel you could reach out and touch their instruments through their performances, even as arrangements. The percussive effects in Primavera feels quirky but honest at the same time. It’s obvious they’re having a good time.
Auditioned via Qobuz at 48kHz/24 bit via Cicada Woods’ own label.