Few know that nuevo tango pioneer Astor Piazzolla wrote classical music (he studied composition under the guidance of Nadia Boulanger), and although the musicians on the album are a classical string quartet, these tangos are not classical works but arranged transcriptons of popular tunes by Piazzolla and his contemporaries. Nonetheless, the very sound and interplay of a string quartet, sometimes augmented with piano or vocalist and bandoneón, is seemingly classical. No translations of the lyrics are included. The Argentine tango, which we associate with a sensual melancholic dance, is music and social perspective born of the harbor and its outcast denizens. The quartet (or quintet) emphasizes the bittersweet romance. Along with Piazzolla, we hear works by Leopoldo Federico, Pedro Laurenz, Horacio Salgán, Osvaldo Montes, Osvaldo Requena, Lisandro Adrover, Carlos Franzetti, and also by quartet leader Leonardo Suárez Paz. Guest bandoleón players are Lisandro Adrover, Hector del Curto, Leopoldo Fedrico, Nestor Marconi, and Marcelo Nisinman. The extensive illustrated package notes details each track and gives biographical information about the quartet's musicians: Suárez Paz, Sami Merinian, Ron Lawrence, and Danny Miller. The oddly titled and off-beat Milonga de los Monsters is a carnival piece and fusion of milonga and murga styles. This 73-minutes cross-over album may appeal to tango fans as well as classical chamber music listeners. An interesting survey of composers, the album is deftly arranged and produced.

In unopened, original shrink wrap.