5 Modern Tango Orchestras You Need To Hear
The tango dance is famous all over the globe because of its passionate charm and playful dynamics. Nevertheless, the rise of this iconic partner dance would not be possible without matching tango music. This form of music is typically played with gusto by a tango orchestra.
People need to understand tango music to comprehend how the dance has made a major impact in cultural and artistic ways throughout its rich history that spans different countries.
It is a good idea for tango dancers to familiarize themselves with this style of music, whether they are professional dancers or newbies who enjoy tango as a recreational activity with their partners.
Read on to learn what tango music is and what its history is. Find out what a tango orchestra is and which musical instruments are typically played by this ensemble. Get to know some of the most popular modern orchestras in the tango world that you need to hear.
What Is a Tango Orchestra?
A tango orchestra is an ensemble that plays tango music.
MasterClass explains that it is also called “orquesta típica” in the Spanish language. Many tango orchestras are exclusively composed of instrumentalists. Some ensembles include a vocalist who sings along to the background music.
While a tango orchestra’s performance may simply be listened to, the tango music they play is originally designed as an accompaniment to the tango dance, which is characterized by the connection and lead-follow interactions between two dance partners.
What Is a Typical Set of Instruments in the Tango Orchestra?
A tango orchestra plays music using portable instruments. At first, trios simply played the violin, flute, and guitar. As the 19th century drew to a close, the bandoneón was popularized by Eduardo Arolas. Aside from this, the use of the organito also led to the rise to fame of particular songs.
Vicente Greco was one of the first tango bandleaders to promote the tango sextet ensemble. He standardized the tango sextet, composed of the piano, two violins, double bass, and two bandoneóns. Occasionally, solo guitars and clarinets are also used by tango orchestras.
Boston Tango Orchestra
● Bandoneón: The bandoneón is a type of concertina that is widely used in Argentina and Uruguay. It is played by pulling and pushing the two sides to force air through the bellows and by pressing the buttons to direct the air to reeds. It has the ability to produce expressive sounds with diverse timbres. Some models are square-shaped, while others resemble six-sided boxes. This instrument is also known as the “tango accordion,” based on Dance Facts information.
● Organito: The organito is a compact instrument which is played by turning the handle to jumpstart the mechanical actions of a toothed cylinder on the keys which produce music. Todo Tango expounds that the melody is recorded in the cylinder, which is typically created from cardboard or wood materials. Each organito has the capacity to save around eight to eleven songs. This instrument is also called the barrel organ.
● Violin: The violin is a popular stringed instrument with four strings on a wooden hollow body. It is typically played using a horsehair bow. It has the distinction of being the smallest in size and highest in pitch among all the members of the violin family. It is also known as a fiddle.
● Flute: The flute is a woodwind instrument that comes in the form of a tube. It is played by blowing on the opening and stopping the keys with fingers to create tunes from the flow of air. It is usually made out of metal materials.
● Guitar: The guitar is a fretted instrument which usually has six strings. It is commonly played by plucking or strumming the strings with one hand, while pressing chords of strings against the frets using the fingers of the other hand.
● Piano: The piano is a keyboard instrument which is played by pressing a combination of white and black keys. The metal strings and soundboard which are connected to the keys are enclosed with a huge wooden case. The volume and length of the tunes may be controlled using the floor pedals.
● Double Bass: The double bass is a stringed instrument with four to five strings. It resembles a cello in appearance, but it is a larger version. It is played by using a bow or plucking its strings. The cello is considered as the biggest in size and lowest in pitch among the instruments in the violin family.
● Clarinet: The clarinet is a woodwind instrument which is composed of a cylindrical tube with a flared bell. It is played by blowing the single-reed mouthpiece and pushing down the keys to produce different notes.
Who Are the 5 Modern Tango Orchestras You Need To Hear?
Whether they are tango beginner students or expert dancers, all tango lovers need to familiarize themselves with good quality tango music, so they can feel the tango spirit as they perform the tango dance in the studio or on the stage.
Here are five popular modern tango orchestras that you and your partner need to listen to:
1. Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
The Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet blossomed from the fervent musical passion of Pedro Giraudo.
This Argentine cultural ambassador spent two decades collaborating with notable tango artists. As part of his life mission to draw attention to his native music, he established his own tango orchestra at the Midsummer Night Swing of Lincoln Center.
Cantaloupe Music Productions relates that this quartet proudly features four virtuoso instrumentalists who have played in distinguished music halls, such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center.
The engaging performances of the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet are a mirror of the dramatic evolution of tango.
While the foundation of the quartet is the traditional orquesta típica, they also explored the tango nuevo which was pioneered by Astor Piazzolla. At present, they are known for their contemporary style, which fuses together classic elements and modern twists.
Aside from his self-named orchestra, there are many landmarks in the colorful career of Giraudo. He garnered some of the most-coveted awards in the industry. He won a Grammy and Latin Grammy for the basswork he recorded in Ruben Blades’ “Tangos” album in 2014.
He also played the role of musical director for All for Tango’s “Blind,” as well as Mariela Franganillo Company’s “Tango Connection” and “Tango Recuerdo.” Pedro Giraudo’s official website highlights that he also “performed with U.S.’s most prominent tango artists including Pablo Ziegler, Hector Del Curto, and Luis Bravo’s “Forever Tango.“
Because of the enthralling Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet and all his other musical achievements, Giraudo is now considered as one of the most engaging tango musicians in the world.
2. Heyni Solera
Perhaps this is the secret behind the popularity of the highly regarded bandoneónist Heyni Solera;
her rich musical journey gave her the opportunity to develop her soulful bandoneón style, which was raved about by the Washington Classical Review.
Solera took her first steps into the bandoneón world in December 2015, with the expert guidance of Professor Santiago Segret. Her love for music flourished as she trained under renowned bandoneónist Ramiro Boero in 2019 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is the heart of the tango world.
Solera achieved her Master of Music degree in Ethnomusicology at the University of Maryland, College Park. As she widened her education, she researched gesture theory which opened her eyes to how tango and bandoneón can be promoted during tango festivals and celebrations.
Her tango music skills thrived as she performed alongside the famous tango orchestras of Argentina, including the Orquesta de Tango de la UNA, Orquesta de Tango del Conservatorio Superior de Musica Manuel de Falla, Orquesta Escuela Orlando Goñi, and Ensemble de Tango de la UNSAM. She also showcases her talents in orchestra and chamber music performances in Argentina and Australia where she works in cooperation with notable musicians in the international tango scene.
Solera has livened up tango musical festivals in North America as well. These include the Tango for Musicians at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, Stowe Tango Music Festival in Stowe, Vermont, and the Cuarteto Tanguero Workshop in Toronto, Canada.
Her projects also include the IN Series productions of Le Cabaret de Carmen at Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. and at the Baltimore Theatre Project in Baltimore, Maryland. Aside from collaborating with Carpe Diem Arts, Quartertonez Music, she is one of the World Ambassadors of Tango Sin Fin. Maestra reveals that Solera takes part in modern virtual concerts like the Squeezebox Queens: A Banquet of Bellows as well.
Today, Solera is a sought-after bandoneónist based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She is currently focusing on producing her own show “Today’s Tango with Heyni,” a mini-series which showcases contemporary musicians all around the globe.
Heyni Solera’s official website shares that she “regularly performs with the Da Capo Tango Orchestra, which focuses on playing danceable tangos throughout the Washington, D.C. area and is part of the cello/bandoneón duo, Arco & Aire, with cellist, Maxfield Wollam-Fisher.” She has an ongoing recording project with Arco & Aire, which will be presented live in a tour of the east coast.
3. Orquesta Gente de Tango
From a simple group of amateur musicians who started practicing together, Orquesta Gente de Tango prospered into the one and only tango orchestra in the world who performs their own interpretation of Carlos Di Sarli’s musical style.
It all began with the collaboration of Alberto Demaria, Enrique Seone, and other musicians in 1981, when they appeared on Channel 11 in Buenos Aires for their first TV performance. According to nuevo.ru, the Orquesta Gente de Tango was composed of the following musicians: the pianist Guillermo Durante; bandoneónists Osvaldo Fumagalli, Juan Carlos Martin, Enrique Seone, and Alberto Demaria; violinists Jose Stoppini, Cesar Palacios, Lucas Furno, Ramon Coronel, and Juan Gandolfo; double bassist Adrian Urtiburu; and last but not least, singer Hector Morano.
Enrique Seone, who was a vital force behind Orquesta Gente de Tango, was born on July 26, 1933. He grew up in Buenos Aires, where he learned to play the bandoneón. He became a professional music arranger in 1953. He developed his sense of harmony with Sebastian Piana and his knowledge of orchestration with Ismael Spitalnik.
Seone had the opportunity to perform with the orchestras of Moro-Della Rocca and Roberto Chanel, who were both musicians of the iconic Juan D’Arienzo. Gente de Tango was also featured at the Miami tango festival in 2006. Over the years, the orchestra partnered with talented singers, such as Horacio Caseras, Roberto Florio, Jorge Duran, Roberto Rufino, Amadeo Mandarino, and Mario Pomar.
Jan Tango’s interview with Seone unveils an interesting behind-the-scenes preview of how Gente de Tango produced musicals scores:
“He listened to the recordings and notated each individual part. One orchestration took more than 25 hours to transcribe. None of what Di Sarli played on the piano was ever printed. He conducted from the piano and played without a score. He was a genius who had the complete orchestrations in his head and his heart.”
“Gente de Tango has Enrique to thank for painstakingly notating the orchestrations they have used for 27 years.”
While Seone passed away in 2008 after struggling with Parkinson’s, his timeless legacy continues through the ongoing music of Gente de Tango.
4. Analia Goldberg
Since the birthplace of Analia Goldberg is Buenos Aires, it’s no wonder that she contributed to the rebirth of tango music during this modern period. Todo Tango shares that she was born on October 17, 1974 in Argentina. Goldberg grew up to become a well-respected composer, pianist, and musical director.
Buenos Aires Ciudad describes her astounding musical transformation:
“Goldberg overturns the evolution of her musical development, exploring the multiple sound combinations offered by a typical eleven-piece orchestra.”
She is creative enough to perform a comprehensive repertoire which she composed.
To share the fruits of her musical labor, Goldberg released her Ojos de Tango Desvelo album in 2011 and her Tan Goldberg album in 2019. She has also collaborated with the singer Walter "Chino" Laborde.
5. Bandonegro
Bandonegro is living proof that tango music can not only survive, but also thrive outside of Argentina.
This world-renowned Polish tango orchestra spreads the love of tango in Poland by performing in tango and jazz festivals, musical theaters, concert halls, and philharmonics centers.
Bandonegro invented their own unique style by incorporating rifts of jazz and classical music into traditional Argentine tango and tango nuevo. As an acknowledgement of their musical prowess, the group became the winner of the PIF Castelfidardo, an international competition held in Italy. They also released the album “Tango Nuevo by Astor Piazzolla.”
To tap into the roots of tango, Bandonegro enthusiastically went on a five-week long tour of Buenos Aires in Argentina in 2019. They performed at the Argentina Tango Salon Festival and famous local clubs like La Viruta and Canning.
They even played “Gallo Ciego'' at the finals of Buenos Aires Tango World Cup, which is one of the major events in the international tango community.
The Bandonegro official website relates that “the band cooperates with prominent dancers, such as Roxana Suarez and Sebastian Achaval, Facundo Piñero and Vanesa Villalba, Clarisa Aragone and Jonathan Saavedra, Los Totis, as well as tango vocalists and musicians: Nelson Pino, Roberto Siri, Carlos Roulet or Andres Martorell.” Bandonegro truly proves that tango has a worldwide appeal.
Listen To Tango Music by Talented Tango Orchestras
Tango music, which originated in the 18th century in the Rio de la Plata region, is vital to the development of the tango dance.
Learning to appreciate the performance of tango ensembles will enhance your enjoyment of the tango dance with your partner.
Discover the joys of tango music, which the University of Michigan describes as the “musical stylings from the indigenous people of the region combined with that from the enslaved and impoverished populations grew into the genre we know today.”
Start listening to tango music by exceptionally skilled tango orchestra bands to become a better tango dancer.