Quintet’s speciality is Piazzolla’s tangos

When Russian-American violinist Philippe Quint does something, he does it passionately.

Quint’s passion can be seen when he is playing classical music as a guest artist with some of the major orchestras in the world.

He feels as deeply when he’s leading his small ensemble – the Philippe Quint Quintet – in playing the nuevo tango music of famous Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla.

	If you go WHAT: Philippe Quint Quintet WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 9 WHERE: Simms Performing Arts Center, Albuquerque Academy, 6400 Wyoming NE HOW MUCH: $40 reserved seats, $30 general admission at www.cma-abq.org, by calling 268-1990 or at the door. Students $10.

“I just love this music. … And audiences love this music. So far there hasn’t been an audience that hasn’t responded favorably to it,” Quint said in a phone interview from his home in New York City.

He said that regardless of what style of music individuals like, Piazzolla’s tango music speaks to them.

Quint will bring his recently formed ensemble to Albuquerque for a performance on Saturday, June 9, at Simms Performing Arts Center. It is the third and final concert of the 2012 June Music Festival.

Quint said he doesn’t believe in printing the concert program for patrons. He prefers to announce the compositions from the stage.

He said his ensemble puts its own stamp in interpreting Piazzolla’s compositions.

“We put our own personalities into the music, on anything we do,” Quint said. “Since I have the privilege of working with Argentine musicians, they have are beneficial in terms of describing the style that Piazzolla really wanted.”

The other members of the quintet are Hector del Curto on bandoneon, the signature instrument of tango; Octavio Brunetti on piano; Claudio Ragazzi on guitar; and Pedro Giraudo on bass.

Quintet said that in performing Piazzolla’s compositions one must keep in mind that the composer went beyond traditional tango rhythms and incorporated Argentine folk music, pop and klezmer. Klezmer generally refers to a folk music that was played in Jewish villages of Eastern Europe.

“All of those particulars we try to bring into our performance,” Quint said.

In November 2010 he was guest soloist with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. In that concert he played Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto.

For that concert Quint played the “Ruby,” a 1708 Stradivari that is on loan from The Stradivari Society. Quint is still playing it.