Adiós Nonino

Piazzolla said himself that it has been impossible for him to write a better piece than Adiós Nonino.

When he rehearsed it for the first time with his quintet, he thought the piece was worth nothing. He didn´t like it.

Such is the feeling one might get out of composing a piece under such circumstances, with so much pressure.

Let me explain:

In 1959, Piazzolla was touring through Central America when he received the news that his father had died in an accident back in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Piazzolla was devastated. He lived in New York at the time.

When he got back home, his son Daniel recalled:

“Dad asked us to leave him alone for a few hours. We went into the kitchen. First, there was absolute silence. After a while, we heard the bandoneon playing. It was a very sad melody, terribly sad. He was composing Adiós Nonino.”

This piece has become one of his most emblematic works. It certainly is absolutely beautiful. Whenever I perform it live, it´s not uncommon to see a few people in the audience shed tears.

I don´t know exactly what makes it so special, the music itself, or the story behind it. Most probably a combination of the two, although when I first heard it I was moved and I didn´t know anything about its background.

Today I published a video performing Adiós Nonino and another of his most emblematic pieces, Oblivion. You can watch it by clicking right here.

Enjoy, and have a great day.

Claudio.