The Most famous Tango - Isaac Albéniz Tango in D

Today has been a particularly restless Monday! I've been glancing at the clock counting down the seconds till it's time to get away from the office. In an attempt to calm my frustrations from work, I thought of this lovely tango as the perfect song to relax me before my long battle with afternoon rush hour traffic.  

Originally written for solo piano as part of the suite España, Op. 165 in 1890, the Tango in D is one of composer Issac Albéniz's most well-known work. Ironically, the transcribed version for classical guitar is more important today than the original piano piece. Personally, I love them both, but agree with general consensus that the guitar version breathes more life and Spanish flare into the piece. It's a juxtaposition of calm and serenity with the seductive rhythms of a tango. 

If this is your first time getting to know Albéniz, I suggest you google the rest of his translated repertoire for classical guitar. They are definitely all gems!

Contemporary - Howl's Moving Castle

This may be a bit of a stretch, but this next piece is so wonderfully melodic and written for a full symphony that I thought I'd include it as my piece showcasing contemporary classical music. It is the theme from the movie Howl's Moving Castle, an animated picture following the adventures of a young girl cursed by a witch into an old lady, and the love story between her and Howl, the owner of the floating castle. The symphony suite is composed by Joe Hisaishi, and in the live recording below he is both the piano soloist and the conductor. 

Howl's Moving Castle (Main Theme) - Composed by Joe Hisaishi

As a bonus, here is an amazing rearrangement for guitar performed by Sungha Jung. He mainly does rearrangements of pop music in US and Korea, but occasionally there will be a soundtrack gem. Enjoy!

Howl's Moving Castle (Main Theme) - Composed by Joe Hisaishi, arrangement by Sungha Jung