Editing Astor Piazzolla (section)

===In the vanguard of ''nuevo tango''===
Back in Argentina, Piazzolla formed his [[Orquesta de Cuerdas]] (String Orchestra), which performed with the singer {{ill|Jorge Sobral|es}}, and his [[Octeto Buenos Aires]] in 1955. With two bandoneons (Piazzolla and [[Leopoldo Federico]]), two violins ([[Enrique Mario Francini]] and {{ill|Hugo Baralis|es}}), double bass ([[Juan Vasallo]]), cello ([[José Bragato]]), piano ([[Atilio Stampone]]), and an electric guitar ([[Horacio Malvicino]]), his Octeto effectively broke the mould of the traditional [[orquesta típica]] and created a new sound akin to chamber music, without a singer and with jazz-like improvisations. This was to be a turning point in his career and a watershed in the history of tango. Piazzolla's new approach to the tango, ''[[nuevo tango]]'', made him a controversial figure in his native land both musically and politically. However, his music gained acceptance in Europe and North America, and his reworking of the tango was embraced by some liberal segments of Argentine society, who were pushing for political changes in parallel to his musical revolution.

In 1958 he disbanded both the Octeto and the String Orchestra and returned to New York City with his family where he struggled to make a living as a musician and arranger. Briefly forming his own group, the Jazz Tango Quintet with whom he made just two recordings, his attempts to blend jazz and tango were not successful. He received the news of the death of his father in October 1959 while performing with [[Juan Carlos Copes]] and [[María Nieves]] in [[Puerto Rico]]; on his return to New York City a few days later, he asked to be left alone in his apartment and in less than an hour wrote his famous tango ''[[Adiós Nonino]]'', in homage to his father.

Copes and Nieves packed out [[Club Flamboyan]] in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], with "Compañia Argentina Tangolandia". Piazzolla was serving as the musical director. The tour continued in New York, Chicago and then Washington. The last show that the three of them did together was an appearance on CBS, the only colour TV channel in the US, on [[The Arthur Murray Party|the Arthur Murray Show]] in April 1960.<ref name=collier>{{cite book|author1 =Azzi, María Susana |author2 =Collier, Simon |title=Le Grand Tango: The Life and Music of Astor Piazzolla|year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0195127773|page=[https://archive.org/details/legrandtangolifemu00azzi/page/73 73]|url=https://archive.org/details/legrandtangolifemu00azzi|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Back in Buenos Aires later that year he put together the first, and perhaps most famous, of his quintets, the [[first Quinteto]], initially comprising bandoneon (Piazzolla), piano ([[Jaime Gosis]]), violin ([[Simón Bajour]]), electric guitar ([[Horacio Malvicino]]) and double bass ([[Kicho Díaz]]). Of the many ensembles that Piazzolla set up during his career, it was the quintet formation which best expressed his approach to tango.

[[File:Astor Piazzolla (canal 13, 1963).jpg|thumb|Piazzolla & his orchestra at television network [[Canal 13 (Argentina)|Canal13]] in 1963]]
In 1963 he set up his ''[[Nuevo Octeto]]'', and the same year premiered his ''Tres Tangos Sinfónicos'', under the direction of Paul Klecky, for which he was awarded the Hirsch Prize.

In 1965 he released ''El Tango'', an album for which he collaborated with the Argentine writer [[Jorge Luis Borges]]. The recording featured his Quinteto together with an orchestra, the singer [[Edmundo Rivero]] and Luis Medina Castro reciting texts.

In 1966 he left Dedé Wolff and the following year signed a five-year contract with the poet [[Horacio Ferrer]] with whom he composed the 'operita' (little [[opera]]) ''[[María de Buenos Aires]]'', with lyrics by Ferrer. The work was premiered in May 1968 with the singer [[Amelita Baltar]] in the title role and introduced a new style of tango, Tango Canción (in English: Song Tango). Soon after this he began a relationship with Amelita Baltar. The following year he wrote ''Balada para un loco'' with lyrics by Ferrer, which was premiered at the First Iberoamerican Music Festival with Amelita Baltar, and Piazzolla himself conducting the orchestra. Piazzolla was awarded second prize and the composition would prove to be his first popular success.

In 1970 Piazzolla returned to Paris where with Ferrer he wrote the oratorio ''El pueblo joven'', later premiered in Saarbrücken, Germany in 1971. On May 19, 1970, he gave a concert with his Quinteto at the Teatro Regina in Buenos Aires in which he premiered his composition ''[[Estaciones Porteñas|Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas]]''.

Back in Buenos Aires he founded his [[Conjunto 9]] (a.k.a. ''Nonet''), a chamber music formation, which was a realisation of a dream for Piazzolla and for which he composed some of his most sophisticated music. He now put aside his first Quinteto and made several recordings with his new ensemble in Italy. Within a year the Conjunto 9 had run into financial problems and was dissolved and in 1972 he participated in his first concert at the [[Teatro Colón]] in Buenos Aires, sharing the bill with other Tango orchestras.

[[File:Summit-Reunion Cumbre personnel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Astor Piazzolla with [[Gerry Mulligan]] at the ''[[Summit (album)|Summit]]'' recording, [[Milan]] ([[Italy]]) 1974. The image includes the producer {{ill|Aldo Pagani|it}}, first from the left, and some performers, including [[Pino Presti]], 2nd from right, and [[Tullio De Piscopo]], 2nd from left]]
After a period of great productivity as a composer, he suffered a heart attack in 1973. That same year he moved to Italy where he began a series of recordings which would span a period of five years. The music publisher {{ill|Aldo Pagani|it}}, a partner in Curci-Pagani Music, had offered Piazzolla a 15-year contract in Rome to record anything he could write. His famous album ''[[Libertango]]'' was recorded in Milan<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7415255|title=Astor Piazzolla – Piazzolla: Libertango CD|publisher=[[CD Universe]]|access-date=January 19, 2014}}</ref> in May 1974. Later that year he separated from Amelita Baltar and in September recorded the album ''[[Summit (Reunión Cumbre)]]'' with the saxophonist [[Gerry Mulligan]] and an Italian orchestra, including jazz musicians such as bassist /arranger [[Pino Presti]] and drummer [[Tullio De Piscopo]],<ref>[http://www.piazzolla.org/works2/reunion.html Reunion Cumbre (Summit)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520092354/http://piazzolla.org/works2/reunion.html |date=2011-05-20 }}, Songs.</ref> in Milan. The album includes the composition ''Aire de Buenos Aires'' by Mulligan.

In 1975 he set up his ''[[Electronic Octet]]'', an octet made up of bandoneon, electric piano and/or acoustic piano, organ, guitar, electric bass, drums, synthesizer and violin, which was later replaced by a flute or saxophone. Later that year [[Aníbal Troilo]] died and Piazzolla composed the {{ill|Suite Troileana|es|italic=y}} in his memory, a work in four parts, which he recorded with the Conjunto Electronico. At this time Piazzolla started a collaboration with the singer [[José Ángel Trelles]], with whom he made a number of recordings.

In December 1976 he played at a concert at the [[Teatro Gran Rex]] in Buenos Aires, where he presented his work, “500 motivaciones”, written especially for the Conjunto Electronico, and in 1977 he played another memorable concert at the [[Olympia (Paris)|Olympia]] in Paris, with a new formation of the Conjunto Electronico.

In 1978 he formed his second Quintet, with which he would tour the world for 11 years, and which would make him world-renowned. He also returned to writing chamber music and symphonic works.

[[File:Piazzolla maradona jairo en paris.jpg|thumb|Piazzolla with football star [[Diego Maradona]] (center) and singer-songwriter [[Jairo (singer)|Jairo]] in Paris, 1981]]

During the period of Argentine military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, Piazzolla lived in Italy, but returned many times to Argentina, recorded there, and on at least one occasion had lunch with the dictator [[Jorge Rafael Videla]]. However, his relationship with the dictator might have been less than friendly, as recounted in ''Astor Piazzolla, A manera de memorias'' (a comprehensive collection of interviews, constituting a memoir):<ref>{{cite book|last=Piazzolla|first=Astor|title=''A manera de memorias''|publisher=Libros Perfil|year=1998|isbn=950-08-0920-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/astorpiazzollama00piaz/page/85 85]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/astorpiazzollama00piaz/page/85}}</ref>

:One year before the ''Los Largartos'' issue you went to Videla's house and had lunch with him. Why did you accept that invitation?

:What invitation? They sent a couple of guys in black suits and a letter with my name on it that said that Videla expected me a particular day in a particular place. I have a book around someplace, with pictures of all the guests: [[Eladia Blázquez]], [[Daniel Tinayre]], [[Olga Ferri]], the composer [[Juan Carlos Tauriello]], there were painters, actors […] – Astor Piazzolla, ''A manera de memorias''

In 1985 he received the Platinum [[Konex Award]], and in 1995 his family received the Honour Konex Award as the most important deceased musician of the decade in Argentina.<ref>Also has been nominated for the [[Grammy Award]].</ref><ref>Also received the [[César Award]].</ref>