Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews
Among the American piano composers to gain prominence since William Gillock (1917-1993), Eugénie Rocherolle (b.1936) is certainly a leading light, and I have increasingly taken an interest in her work as it has steadily become more familiar here in the UK. To find out about her other recent publications, you can check my previous reviews here.
A few months back, her 2016 collection Fantasia del Tango appeared in a new edition here, and it’s another firm winner. Read on to find out more…
The Dance of the Heart
Introducing this collection, the composer tells us,
“The tango is Argentina’s contribution to the world of dance. Believed to have originated in the poorer sections of Buenos Aires, it began to change in the late 1800’s with the arrival of European immigrants. They brought with them their music and dances which, when combined with those of Argentina, gave us what is known as the Argentine tango, the ‘dance of the heart’.
Originally performed by men (solo or a pair) to attract the ladies, eventually the male-female couple became the norm. This brought more excitement and appeal and quickly spread throughout the continents where it remains one of the most popular world music genres.”
This collection offers six original piano solos and one duet piece:
- Debajo las Estrellas (Under the Stars)
- Ojos de Coqueta (Teasing Eyes)
- Promesa de Amor (Promise of Love)
- Sueños de Ti (Dreams of You)
- Suspiros (Longings)
- Tango Caprichoso (Tango Fancy)
- Bailando Conmigo (Dancing with Me) duet
All these pieces would suit an intermediate player at around UK Grade 4-5 level. There is commendable variety, given that all the pieces here are based around the same distinctive rhythms and a limited range of tempi.
Dreams of You and Promise of Love are (as expected from their titles) a little slower, the most affectionately nostalgic titles, while the quicker Under the Stars and Teasing Eyes are catchy pieces which include delicious transpositions between major and minor keys.
The most insistent piece, Tango Caprichoso, has already proven particularly popular with learners in the U.S. as the large number of student videos on YouTube can attest. The piece is also the most technically impressive, and would certainly make for an enjoyable concert piece.
Bringing further variety, the duet Dancing with Me is a pleasing and useful addition. From a pedagogic point of view, the piece requires careful rhythmic synchronisation between the players, thus making it an effective test piece to discover whether a learner has fully embraced the Tango groove.
The Publication
In common with other titles in Hal Leonard’s The Eugénie Rocherolle Series, the sheet music publication is tastefully presented, with gloss card cover, staple binding, and thick white pages within.
The scores appear in the publisher’s usual house style, enjoying generously sized and spaciously engraved notation, with helpful fingering suggestions throughout. In the case of the duet Dancing with Me, the Primo and Secondo parts are printed in full score format, one above the other.
…and Audio
Unlike the previous books I have reviewed in the series, Fantasia del Tango includes audio recordings of all the pieces, accessed using Hal Leonard’s excellent Playback+ online player.
For those not yet acquainted with Playback+ it allows the learner to change the speed, transpose pitch, and loop sections for study use. Those who would prefer to use the audio offline can also download it to their device.
Happily, the audio recordings don’t simply deliver a quantised midi score playback, but offer human interpretations, so improving the tango groove beyond the literal notation, adding arpeggiation and rubato where appropriate. The only missed opportunity is that the two duet parts aren’t available separately for play-along use.
Closing Thoughts
For those who enjoy or simply want to explore the tango genre, this collection is an easy winner, offering just the right balance of material to satisfy curiosity and meet the player’s enthusiasm, delivered with excellent attention to the needs of the intermediate player, and with genuine stylistic affection.
While essentially pastiches of the music of Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel et al, the pieces here have their own unique charm. Written with consummate craftsmanship and astute attention to pedagogic value, they also offer yet another compelling showcase for Rocherolle’s superb gift for melody.
Pianodao Music Club members receive 15% discount from Sheet Music Plus.
Musicroom is joining forces with Sheet Music Plus.
Most Pianodao retail links will redirect you to the new product pages.
Any which don’t will be updated in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience.
Pianodao includes 700+ free articles and reviews.
If you value this resource, please support the site:
