Tango Tango

So good they named it twice«! This piece isn't New York, but it is a new composition rather than an arrangement and it is rather good. The four parts are, broadly speaking, bass, lower register chords, higher chords and tune. The inner parts have a variety of interlocking rhythms that actually bounce the accompaniment between players, so that there is a sense of interplay and energy inside the piece.
The bass line is the easiest but is the one that captures the spirit of the tango so effectively. The chord parts are a little more of a handful, both physically, where the chords are probably approaching Grade 7 in terms of the complexity and speed of chord-change needed, and in terms of rhythm, where there is a heady mix of different patterns. The tune also has the same rhythmic mixtures, though the part is physically not taxing.
There are some rather sexy slides in the first section, where the end of one phrase glides, like a tango dancer low on the floor, into the arms of the next phrase. It's simple and really effective.
The lyrical centre section has a rhythm change that is the only difficult obstacle for the bass player to contend with. Set at double the tempo of the strident, purposeful opening, the composer sets triplet against duplet, though provided that the players stay with the bass line, at least at the bar or measure boundaries, some poetic licence with the exact timings will probably add, rather than detract from the piece. That having been said, my feeling is that it is going to make the piece more suited to a quartet, rather than large ensemble. I suspect the latter would find it hard to keep all the players on each part together.
The edition is unfingered, and some time needs to be spent on the chord parts to find the best places to shift position, but this is a one-off job. Including the small repeated sections, this is a good-sized piece of music with a good feel to it.
Derek Hasted