Ann Hobson Pilot, Lucia Lin & JP Jofre - Astor Piazzolla: Escualo (2015)

The name of Astor Piazzolla is synonymous with the word tango. A musical ambassador who carried the signature sounds of Argentina s cafes and nightclubs to concert halls around the world, his instantly recognizable compositions (attractively arranged here for harp, violin and bandoneón) are infused with elements of jazz, fusion and even classical baroque. Escualo (1979), which translates literally as shark , is renowned among Piazzolla s output for its devilish violin part, combining virtuosic double-stopping techniques with complex rhythmic patterns and sudden metrical shifts that threaten to wrongfoot the listener. The shark of the title is not the music itself, which certainly has a fearsome bite, but the animals Piazzolla wrestled with while shark-fishing in Punta del Este, Uruguay, during his summers there. After 40 years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, legendary principal harpist Ann Hobson Pilot retired at the end of the Tanglewood 2009 season, having joined the BSO in 1969 as assistant principal harp and principal with the Boston Pops. Lucia Lin has recorded as a guest of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players; on a disc featuring the works of Bright Sheng; as a member of the Muir String Quartet; and as a member of the Boston Trio, of which she was a founding member. Argentine musician-composer-arranger J. P. Jofre is hailed as the premier bandoneonista of our time, whose virtuosity astonishes critics as well as his growing legion of fans. His soulful, artful playing of the bandoneón has been praised by the New York Times.