" data-original-title="" title="">Wynton Marsalis), to name just of the many with whom the pianist has shared the stage and studio. Briggs is an extraordinarily gifted musician and pianist who brings technique enriched with superb expression to the instrument, and a much-admired dynamic. She is extremely sprightly, is brimming with ideas and this is reflected in her music, which spins and pirouettes, rustles and sways with controlled emotion, revolutionary zeal and courage.

On Tangos for Piano, Briggs excels with her approach to the legendary form of music and dance with passion, grace and fire. Ideas flow with bristling ingenuity as she provides lesson after lesson in the art of harmony and rhythm, something that few pianists have done with such natural flair. Her readings appear to be faithful to the tangos that have been composed specially for this project by renowned composers such as David Rakowski, Stacy Garrop and others. At the same time, she lets her febrile spirit dream up fiery improvisatory cadenzas that turn the melodies inside out, chop them up and re-string the notes in fresh new lines that bounce and swerve and swagger like glowing necklaces. Her approach to harmony is astounding and even in dissonant passages she seems to find the perfect chords that brings blushes to the music before her.

Briggs takes apart the most contemporary of the compositions— that make delightfully outrageous melodic and harmonic demands on the ear—with affectionate caresses and playful interpretations of the tangos exacting, stylish rhythm. Her program opens with a stunning, most reverent reading of Igor Stravinsky's little-known "Tango" and she gives David Rakowski's "Zipper Tango" the lively irreverent treatment that it deserves. On Pablo Ortiz's "Piglia" Briggs displays extraordinary control as she rips through mind-bending arpeggios. Her performance on other tangos is just as astounding. She is appropriately furtive on Jason Eckardt's "Tango Clandestino," Zen-like on the epigrammatic "Astoria," from fellow composer, Amy Williams and in absolutely superb touch on the demanding, "Fantango" by Jukka Tiensuu.

There are 22 tangos on this program, including one from