The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts continues Summer @ The Wallis on its outdoor stage with Salastina, an LA-based chamber music ensemble nationally recognized for its accessibility and “elegant virtuosity” (Huffington Post), which celebrates the 100th birthday of “Tango Master” Ástor Piazzolla with his original arrangement of Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, a set of four tangos for piano, violin, bandoneón (a type of Spanish accordion), electric guitar and double bass, on August 7, 2021, 8 pm. Other Piazzolla works on the tango-themed program include Le Grand Tango and Romance del Diablo. Salastina also performs Jalousie 'Tango Tzigane' (Jealousy 'Gypsy Tango' ) by Danish composer Gade; Rodriguez’s quintessential tango La Cumparsita; the evocative Piano Sonata No. 1 by Argentinian composer Ginastera; and Boulanger’s Trois Pièces for Cello and Piano. Salastina features Maia Jasper White and Kevin Kumar, violins; Meredith Crawford, viola; Yoshika Masuda, cello; HyeJin Kim, piano; Philip Graulty, electric guitar; Nathan Farrington, double bass; Seth Asarnow, bandoneón.
Piazzolla was born in Argentina and grew up in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where he became a bandoneón virtuoso and immersed himself in jazz and classical music before returning to Argentina to play in tango orchestras and, ultimately, develop his distinctive tango nuevo style, infusing tango with elements of jazz and classical and bringing him international acclaim as a composer.
Salastina, founded in 2010 by violinists Kevin Kuman and Maia Jasper White, who describe chamber music as “the indie rock band of the classical music world,” is comprised of world-class studio musicians who have been featured on a range of iconic film and television scores. Over the past decade, American Public Media’s prestigious Performance Today – the most listened to daily classical music radio program in the country – has featured more than two dozen Salastina performances on its airwaves, reaching millions of people nationwide. The ensemble’s free Happy Hour Tuesday digital presentations featuring live musical performances, spirited conversation and interaction with musicians and other music lovers, has also drawn legions of fans from around the globe.
Tickets for Salastina, $40, are on sale now for all events. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit www.thewallis.org, or call 310-746-4000 (Tue.-Fri. 9:30 am – 2:30 pm).