A tango "campero" without drama
SOSIEGO EN LA NOCHE
Sosiego en la noche was composed in 1943 by
Roberto Garza (music) and Carlos Bahr (lyrics). Aníbal Troilo
recorded it on the 5th of November 1943 with Francisco
Fiorentino, and Rodolfo Biagi on the 30th of May in 1944 with
Carlos Acuña.
Troilo's version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3qGzEpX_1A
Biagi's version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzxUQmjfIXU
The lyrics are very atypical for tango, they are
about the calmness of a night in the pampa, and the aromas,
the stars, and the sounds of the animals.
Troilo's recording starts with magic gentle
violins, then the motif is repeated with more rhythmical
accents, and throughout the piece the way of playing
alternates between quiet/mystical and strong/pushing. The B
part (and already the transition) has harmonies that transmit
a "rural" feeling, and slows down two times with triplets.
Francisco Fiorentino shows the same variability in dynamics as
the orchestra, his singing is richly accompanied by the
orchestra, mainly in deep registers. Between the two parts of
the singing we hear Troilo's bandoneon meditating.
In Biagi's version there are also changes, not in
the mood but between legato and staccato, which means Biagi's
extreme staccato. The violins as well as the bandoneons sound
sharp and aggressive. The orchestra's accompaniment of the
singer is not, as usual in these times, with a countermelody,
but most of the time with the same melody, played by violins
or bandoneons, alternating. (This is typical for Biagi, and a
reason why Biagi's singers don't shine like other singers in
the Golden Age). Between the two parts of the singing we hear
Rodolfo Biagi himself on the piano, in a simple solo with some
elasticity. The "rural" elements are more pronounced than in
the Troilo version, especially towards the atypical end.
Troilo with Fiorentino in the recording studio
Rodolfo Biagi's orchestra