Tango Royal Carel Kraayenhof

• Carel Kraayenhof: Clavel rojo (arr. B. Zimmerman and R. Alvarez)
• 1 Clavel rojo (arr. B. Zimmerman and R. Alvarez) 03:43
• Astor Piazzolla: Milonga del Angel (arr. for bandoneon and orchestra)
• 2 Milonga del Angel (arr. for bandoneon and orchestra) 06:44
• Astor Piazzolla: Balada para un Loco
• 3 Balada para un Loco 05:09
• Carel Kraayenhof: Maxima
• 4 Maxima 06:18
• Carel Kraayenhof: Milonga para Thirza (arr. B. Zimmerman)
• 5 Milonga para Thirza (arr. B. Zimmerman) 06:08
• Astor Piazzolla: Aconcagua
• 6 I. Allegro marcato 07:05
• 7 II. Moderato 07:44
• 8 III. Presto 06:24
• Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion (arr. B. Zimmerman)
• 9 Oblivion (arr. B. Zimmerman) 03:53
• Roberto Alvarez: Maypa
• 10 Maypa 03:13
• Astor Piazzolla: Adios Nonino (arr. B. Zimmerman)
• 11 Adios Nonino (arr. B. Zimmerman) 04:43
• Total Runtime 01:01:04

Info for Tango Royal

This album features a selection of tangos by Piazzolla and others arranged for bandoneón player Carel Kraayenhof and his own sextet, together with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. Kraayenhof is considered to be one of the worlds finest bandoneón players and has worked with Piazzola.

Characteristic for Argentinian tango music is the sound of the bandoneon. Thanks to its melancholy, muffled, yet also striking and clear sound, this extended accordion symbolises the emigration of Europeans from countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain to the South-American continent. Apart from the German origin of this instrument, there are many other European influences to be found in tango music: varying from the canzioneta napolitana and tango andaluz, to both folk and classical music from France and Germany. Thus there has always been a close tie between the European continent and the Argentinian tango.

Therefore, the fact that a bandoneon-player from the Netherlands is now known as one of the most important international ambassadors of this Argentinian music is less strange than it might seem at first. Carel Kraayenhof (born on August 15, 1958) is highly fascinated by the idiom of the tango, which is at odds with his own culture and the flat country of his birth. His aim is to demonstrate the contrasts in tempo and dynamics, the capriciousness and poignancy of this music.

Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneón
Vesko Eschkenazy, violin
Willem van Baarsen, violin
Martijn van der Linden, violin
Heleen Koele, soprano
Sebastiaan van Delft, piano
Eva Wolff, 2nd bandoneón
Daniël Lehmann, bass
Sexteto Canyengue
Netherlands Chamber Choir
Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra
Ed Spanjaard, conductor

Recorded at MCO Hilversum, The Netherlands April 2002
Producer: Job Maarse
Balance engineer: Erdo Groot
Recording engineers: Roger de Schot, Mario Nozza
Editing: Matthijs Ruijter, Carl Schuurbiers

Carel Kraayenhof
(1958), bandoneonist, composer and arranger, is the most fascinating and versatile contemporary bandoneon player. Unique in his style due to his profound knowledge of the of Argentinean tango, he moves/touches any audience worldwide with his enchanting and honorable play. By working closely together with Astor Piazzolla (†1992) in 1987 during the Broadway show ‘Tango Apasionado’ and his long lasting personal friendship with the beloved Tango Maestro Osvaldo Pugliese (†1995), he developed into one of the most beloved bandeonists of this moment. One of his highlights was on 2-2-2002 as he passionately performed the moving ‘Adiós Nonino’ during the marriage ceremony of H.R.H. Prince Willem Alexander and H.R.H. Princess Maxima. Next to his work during the previous 21 years with his Sexteto Canyengue, he also worked with celebrities from the classical music scene such as: Ennio Morricone, Yo-Yo-Ma, the violinists Janine Jansen, Joshua Bell, and the cellist Quirine Viersen. He is an internationally welcome bandoneon soloist with various international symphonic orchestras such as for instance: the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker, l’Orchestre National de Lyon,Tonkünstler Orchestra (Wenen), the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cincinnatti Symphony Orchestra, the Sidney Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra with STING and many others.

That Carel does not limit himself to one single style of music is proven by his work together with singers Dulce Pontes and Sting. In the Netherlands he has recorded numbers with for instance André Hazes (Bloed, zweet en tranen), Blᴓf (Barcelona, Bougainville, Geen Tango), Trijntje Oosterhuis (Nu dat jij er bent), Dana Winner (Afscheid van een Vriend) and he performed with Marco Borsato.

Carel has received many awards, such as the ‘Edison Publieksprijs’ in 2003 for his CD ‘Tango Royal’ and in 2005 he was awarded by the Argentinean Government for his inexhaustible worldwide efforts for the Argentinean tango.

Booklet for Tango Royal