Tango: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
While director Carlos Saura employs the eponymous, erotically tinged ballroom dance form both as vehicle and metaphor for his film's storytelling, Argentine composer and film and TV scorer Lalo Schifrin in turn uses the film's score as framework for a rich musical tapestry that stretches from the traditionally familiar ("El Choclo") to the dark, rhythmic fury of his own classical-dance fusion ("La Represion"). Schifrin, a six-time Oscar nominee and winner of four Grammy Awards, spent his early career as pianist for tango composing legend Astor Piazzolla; that experience, along with his accomplished classical, film, and jazz work, has informed a score that may both surprise traditionalists with its adventurous diversity and give the rest of us a thrilling introduction to a vibrant musical form that continues to evolve. Interspersed with Schifrin's marvelous original compositions is a generous sampling of traditional tango music from composers such as Piazzolla, Canario, Salgan, and Filiberto.--Jerry McCulley