Le Grand Tango

Arranged for Viola, String Orchestra and Piano

By Astor Piazzolla

The unique timbre of the viola presents an arranging challenge. It is easily absorbed by other orchestral instruments. The arranger took pains to create a transparent orchestration, allowing the viola to play expressively and with beauty of sound. As 20th Century music, this work requires capable musicianship and adequate rehearsal...

to carry it off. It is on par with works of Stravinsky, Bartok or Ravel, composers Piazzolla sought to emulate in his early training. It is consistent with string techniques in common usage in Piazzolla’s era. The arranger made every effort to faithfully reflect the composer's intentions and his many surprising changes of mood and tempo. Brett L Allen is a violist with nearly 40 years professional orchestral experience. He is Assistant Principal Viola of the Columbus (OH) Symphony Orchestra and a member of the inestimable Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra. He is published by Oxford University Press, Berben, and Watchfire Music.

We tried this arrangement in our community orchestra and it semmed rather thick orchestrated, despite its use of only strings and piano. The unison at the pesante in the second section semmed uneffective. In the third section, the arrangement calls for pizzicato, which proved uneffective, then we changed it to...

arco and worked way better. Overall, the orchestration felt very busy and diverts attention from the solo part.