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If the inaugural <\/span>Feel the Magic<\/em> <\/span>concert opened with a big bang, the second event of the series was no less spectacular and stunningly impressive! The concert featured a well-knit Sicily Ensemble performing a representative selection of Astor Piazzolla\u2019s tango-inspired oeuvre in a truly thrilling and riveting performance. The ensemble was under the dynamic direction of Prof. Franco Foder\u00e0 who cajoled the performers to mesmerize the patronizing audience at the Ministry of Gozo\u2019s internal courtyard. Apart from interpreting this repertoire, Maestro Foder\u00e0 is to be commended for the excellent arrangements of Piazzolla\u2019s compositions for the mixed- ensemble elements of the Sicily Ensemble.<\/p>\n

It was Nadia Boulanger who persuaded Astor Piazzolla to devote himself to the tango rather than to other genres of classical music. For this eminent French-based teacher, Piazzolla interpreted the popular music of Argentina much as Bart\u00f3k, Stravinsky and Gershwin did the music of their countries. Piazzolla took the Argentinian tango and produced an eclectic classical music strain that came across effortlessly in the Sicily Ensemble\u2019s offering. In ensuring the nuevo tango, the Argentinian composer freed the tango from its traditional patterns and gave it more nuances, making it more complex in the process. This introductory enlightening note before every excerpt by the violinist Antonella Scalia provided the audience with a contextual picture of what to expect.<\/p>\n