Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion was composed in 1982 as a chamber ensemble. This piece was one of Astor Piazzolla’s most famous Tangos, and it became mostly popular when it was released on the soundtrack of Marco Bellochio’s film Henry IV, the Mad King. Oblivion has been recorded in many different versions, including being rewritten for the klezmer clarinet, saxophone quartet, oboe, and orchestra. It starts out with violins and cellos, and is a beautiful, haunting piece that speaks of tragedy and love. It’s one of the most famous Tango work ever done by Astor Piazzolla, and remains one of his best.
The string section enters instantly, with a subtle, arpeggiated accompaniment, and the melody is extremely melancholic and almost depressing. With long notes and beautiful, alternating notes and elegant figures, Oblivion is a song that spins a sad tale of love and woe. It is a beautiful piece, very elegant in structure, and sounds like a sad song. Half way through the song, the melodies change a little, with a contrasting theme, not as intense as the previous notes and melodies though. Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion is one of the tangos that he wrote with almost no jazz or rock influence, like most other of his pieces from that time. It is a piece that is very true to the original Tango, and Piazzolla keeps it at its roots. It has a bit of harmonic sophistication and elegance, and it sings a beautiful song of Tango and emotion.
Oblivion was widely popular, and is one of the pieces that Astor Piazzolla is most known for. It’s a wonderful Tango that inspires many people, and is full of strong emotion and beautiful melodies. It’s the elegance and inspiration all wrapped up into beautiful movements. Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion is a Tango that is strictly for the stage, and it remains a beautiful, almost sacred Tango piece because of the reserve that one must take when playing it. Oblivion is beautiful, elegant, and terribly sad, and remains one of the most haunting work of Piazzolla.
Indeed a masterpiece piece of music, however it is disingenuous to call it a tango, just because Piazzolla once tried to modernize the tango.
Nobody whoever listened to a tango could honestly say this is a tango unless he or she is told otherwise by so call “authorities.”
Here is an authority who says it’s not a tango but a great piece of chamber m.usic