Piano trio to perform unique take on traditional tango for Fowler Out Loud

February 19, 2019

Valerie Stern, a pianist for Trio Escarlata, will perform "Cuatro Estaciones Portenas" ("The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires") at the Fowler Museum at UCLA during the Fowler Out Loud show Wednesday. (Courtesy of Carli Jo Bidlingmaier)

"People usually associate tango music with uptightness and strictness, but two members of Trio Escarlata said the ensemble will use classical instruments to convey passion.

Trio Escarlata – a piano trio composed of UCLA graduate students Killian Kelly, Valerie Stern and Priyanka Venkatesh – will perform Wednesday at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. One of the songs the group covers is “Cuatro Estaciones Portenas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires),” by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. Kelly said traditionalists didn’t consider Piazzolla’s music to be tango at the time of its creation because of its fast and feisty nature. Despite its distinct qualities, however, Venkatesh said Piazzolla’s music still can be included in the genre because it contains a hallmark tango rhythm. As a classical performance group, Trio Escarlata will break the boundaries of the traditional tango music from its school courses by using its instruments to convey the four seasons along with sensuality, Venkatesh said.

“(The instruments are) more intensified and dramatic than in music such as Beethoven or Bach,” Kelly said. “We get a little grittier and dirtier in the sound – it’s not all neat and proper like what people are used to … (and) there’s a lot of room to be a little messy and dark.”

The name Trio Escarlata, which translates to “Scarlet Trio”, was chosen by violinist Venkatesh. The name is a nod to the association of the color red with sensuality and the tango music genre because of its evocative nature. Venkatesh said the colorful harmonies within the music can be associated with a fantasy because of its free-flowing rhythmic freedom.

“Tango is all about love and passion,” Venkatesh said. “It’s like a sensory overload in a good way.”

Kelly said the provocative nature of Piazzolla’s works made them controversial at the time of their creation in the twentieth century. Purists didn’t consider Piazzolla’s music to be tango, Venkatesh said. But Piazzolla turned the previously slow and sultry tango into something fast-paced and thrilling, creating a gratifying sensation in the audience, Kelly said."— Alexsandra Coltun Schneider, Feb. 19, 2019

This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the Daily Bruin website.

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