The Berlin trio Luz y Sombra gives tango nuevo a new face with their enthusiasm, creativity, and virtuosity.

Since its founding almost 20 years ago, the ensemble has been dedicated to the compositions of Astor Piazzolla, presenting them in previously unheard arrangements for their instrumentation of violin, clarinet/bass clarinet, and piano. In doing so, the three classically trained musicians continually reinvent both their own playing and Piazzolla’s music, bringing it to the stage with ease and brilliance.

Since 2017, the ensemble has also been performing as a quartet with singers Diego Valentín Flores and Nicolás Lartaun in concerts focusing on Piazzolla’s vocal music.
Numerous concert tours have taken Luz y Sombra throughout Germany, to other European countries, and beyond. Their stages have included Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the French Cathedral in Berlin, and the Felicja Blumental Music Center Tel Aviv. In the spring of 2021, Luz y Sombra was among the finalists in the International Piazzolla Music Competition.
In collaboration with Skycap Records and Galileo Records, the trio has released three albums to date: Luz y Sombra (2012), Milonga Loca (2016), and Chiquilín (2021). The third album, on which the trio invited singer Nicolás Lartaun as a guest artist, was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award 3/2021.

Miriam Erttmann – Viola

Cora Rott – Clarinet/Bass clarinet

Katja Steinhäuser – piano

Program

Encuentro

A concert, an encounter.
Piazzolla meets Bach, Bartók, and Boulanger—tango meets jazz elements, baroque forms, and avant-garde harmonies.
Since 2007, the Luz y Sombra ensemble has specialized in the music of Astor Piazzolla. Now the Berlin trio is turning its attention to the composers who inspired his musical language, allowing Piazzolla to enter into a musical dialogue with his role models. With their own arrangements for violin, clarinet/bass clarinet, and piano, the three musicians present the history of the origins of tango nuevo.

PDF version of the program.