The All Music Guide writes about Ástor Piazzolla's 6 Études tanguistiques . . . "These six tango etudes are a highly original blending of the classical concert etude and Piazzolla's "new tango" music. They present the player with technical challenges pertaining to given aspect of flute playing, yet are effective concert works. Although the tango rhythm is never very far away in this set, much of the interest of the music lies in how Piazzolla finds new textures and playing techniques for the solo flute. They were composed in 1987 and belong to a group of works from Piazzolla's later career in which he returned to "classical" specification of the musical moment while by no means abandoning his connection to the tango". Watch a performance of Tango Etudes 1 & 3 by flutist Claudio Barile . . . one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.

Bohuslav Martinů managed to become not only the greatest Czech composer of his generation, but a major international figure, known especially for his concerti and chamber music. The rhythmic vitality and pronounced lyricism of his music recall the styles of both Dvorak and Stravinsky. Martinů began as a follower of Debussy, but after moving to Paris he became part of the avant-garde there. He experimented with jazz, a Bartok-like rhapsodic style, and neoclassic fun-and-games in the manner of Les Six. He came increasingly under the influence of Stravinsky, but unlike many others, moved more and more towards his Czech roots and folk influences via a neoclassic musical view. During World War II, Martinů fled to the United States, and thereafter, his work opened up emotionally, without losing its considerable craft. He became a major 20th-century symphonist, writing six symphonies, as well as contributing major vocal works for the operatic stage, and cantatas for chorus and orchestra. Hear him talk about his life and his music . . . our Pytheas COMPOSER PORTRAIT.

New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) is a non-profit organization, based in Toronto, that produces performances and installations spanning the entire spectrum of electroacoustic and experimental sound art. Included in its productions are: Deep Wireless, Sound Travels, Arts Birthday and SOUNDplay. The objectives of New Adventures in Sound Art are to foster awareness and understanding locally, as well as nationally and internationally, in the cultural vitality of experimental sound art in its myriad forms of expression. This objective is achieved through the exploration of new sound technologies in conjunction with the creation of cultural events and artifacts. Check them out! They're this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC WEBSITE.