Since his highly praised Carnegie Hall debut in New York City, the saxophonist Marco Albonetti has been engaged for performances and master-classes around the world....

Since his highly praised Carnegie Hall debut in New York City, the saxophonist Marco Albonetti has been engaged for performances and master-classes around the world. He has appeared at countless Italian theatres and numerous distinguished international venues, and his concert tours have taken him to Armenia, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States. Albonetti first discovered the music of Piazzolla on the day he died – 4th July 1992 – when RAI reported the news and broadcast his music. Albonetti’s fascination for his music has persisted from that day forward. Traveling to Buenos Aires to research his doctoral dissertation, Albonetti had the privilege of examining the composer’s original manuscript scores and interviewing people who had worked closely with Piazzolla: his wife, Laura Escalada, his librettist Horacio Ferrer, and his fellow musicians Pablo Ziegler, Daniel Binelli, Jose Bragato, and Arturo Schneider. This album features his Albonetti’s own arrangements for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra, described by Piazzolla’s publisher as ‘A splendid piece of work, impeccably executed, and a demonstration of great respect for the music of Maestro Piazzolla.’

REVIEW:

Piazzolla discs seem to come from everywhere, ever since he became a commercially viable bandwagon worth jumping on. Most releases are enjoyable to some degree, but few rise to a level that makes them stand out. I think this one does. In his playing, Albonetti finds the sweet spot that does justice to the full spectrum of this composer's art. With the exception of Oblivion, which is arranged by Pablo Ziegler, all of the other orchestrations here are done, very skillfully, by Albonetti himself. Perhaps Piazzolla's most famous large-scale work, Las cuatro estaciones porteñas, or "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires," is programmed one season at a time with other music interspersed, which is unusual but effective. Excellent recorded sound and insightful program notes by Albonetti complete this fine disc.

– Fanfare