Håkon Skogstad - 8 Concepts of Tango (2024)

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Håkon Skogstad - 8 Concepts of Tango (2024)

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Pianist and composer Håkon Skogstad releases his new album, 8 Concepts of Tango, the sequel to Norwegian Grammy-awarded Visions of Tango from 2021. The album is the third installment of Skogstad’s tango trilogy, where the aim has been to develop a new musical style in the wake of Astor Piazzolla. On 8 Concepts of Tango, Skogstad performs in the company of seven hand-picked musicians - all experts in the Argentine tango/classical music segment.

“In the solo piano album Two Hands to Tango from 2018, I combined my experience from tango, classical and jazz playing to reformulate the use of the piano in nuevo tango – greatly inspired from a bandoneón playing style. In the sequel Visions of Tango from 2021, I upscaled to a grand format with my original Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra as well as piano/violin duo arrangements with Atle Sponberg and the Trondheim Soloists. In 8 Concepts of Tango, I have taken inspiration from Astor Piazzolla’s Octeto Buenos Aires and composed 8 original works for 8 musicians - aiming to further expand the landscape of nuevo tango.” - Håkon Skogstad

Håkon Skogstad (b.1989) is a prize-awarded pianist and composer holding degrees in classical performance from Oslo and New York as well as a PhD in Artistic Research from NTNU, Trondheim. He has performed in ensembles and as soloist throughout Norway and played concerts in the U.S., Argentina, Germany, Austria, Spain and Sweden. He has also composed several large-scale works on commission. Skogstad released five critically acclaimed tango recordings both in groups and as soloist in the period of 2008-2021. For his latest album, the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel stated that "Skogstad's interpretations of Piazzolla are wonderfully exciting, and his piano concerto is highly entertaining, mixing the grand virtuoso gesture of Romanticism with bittersweet tango tones. Caramba!”. The Argentinian newspaper Tiempo Argentino stated that "Skogstad reformulates the use of the piano in the tango genre and gives it an absolutely personal characteristic, to which he adds a precise technical interpretation”, and Contemporary Fusion Reviews concludes that “his playing is total precision and full of fiery emotion.”

- Caserón Porteño is dedicated to the hotel in Buenos Aires where we grew as young musicians through musical experiences, practice, lessons and dancing.

- Retroreflections timelessly mirrors the past and the present - a merging of the golden age of tango with concepts of a future.

- A Contemplative Rhapsody evolves into a broad musical landscape rooted in the rhythms of tango.

- Tango contra Tango is inspired from classical music counterpoint - raising a tango structure brick by brick, followed by a Milonga-inspired part showcasing several instrumental solos, including a viola improvisation.

- The Anvil is a tribute to the musical style of Osvaldo Pugliese orchestra - forging the future through the tools of the past.

- Romance para Ocho is a musical romance performed by eight musicians.

- Battaglia is inspired by Renaissance and Baroque program music. An abstract nuevo tango takes on the war drum rhythms of a battle.

- Lamento is the contrasting piece following the battle of the Battaglia - traditionally an act of lamenting, a show of grief or regret. In my composition this darkness is also contrasted by feelings of hope.»