In the year of the centenary of stor Piazzollas birth, an album comprising some of the renowned composers best-known compositions in the style of the Argentine tango is released by the conductor and phenomenal horn player Radek Babork. The albums release on 11 March 2021 marks what would have been Piazzollas one hundredth birthday. Coincidentally, Radek Babork, who has completed his pioneering journey as an arranger of Piazzollas work with this album, celebrates his birthday on the same day. The album has been recorded in collaboration with Radek Babork Orquestrina, an ensemble composed of foremost soloists and chamber players. Its variable line-up is adjusted according to the needs of individual projects which mostly consist of tailor-made arrangements of music originally composed for other instruments. Baborks wish to extend the repertoire for the French horn through such arrangements eventually brought him to stor Piazzolla. In collaboration with the arranger Tom Ille and having received consultations from the famous violinist Fernando Surez Paz who had been member of Piazzollas acclaimed Quinteto for ten years, Babork introduced his first, original arrangements of Piazzollas music in 2014, on the debut album of his ensemble. In 2019 he dedicated an entire eponymous album to Piazzolla, also recorded by Orquestrina. The characteristic sound of tango, provided by the bandoneon, is produced in Baborks arrangements by the French horn, bass clarinet, violin and piano. Together with his colleagues, Babork has expanded the catalogue of sounds and sound effects available for the performance of Piazzollas music, including rapping on the French horn, slaps performed on bass clarinet, prepared piano, glissandos, imitation of the sound of cicadas, sirens and others. Performing Piazzolas music, the members of Orquestrina often incorporate improvised cadenzas, fixed improvisations and make free with Piazzollas typical ornamentation.
