RANTALA, I.: Piano Concerto and Concerto in G-Sharp Major / A-Flat Major / Astorale / Tangonator / Final Fantasy
Rantala, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Kuusisto
ODE1071-2

Each Friday we select a track from a Naxos Music Group album released twenty years ago to provide the accompaniment for five minutes of your downtime.

This week’s pick from the Ondine label is Tangonator, a piece for violin and piano composed by Finnish jazz pianist Iiro Rantala (b. 1970). The work was written for Rantala’s ensemble Tango Kings, which enjoyed the peak of its popularity in New York in the 1990s. On this recording, the violinist is Jaakko Kuusisto (1974–2022), accompanied by the composer.