Tango in the Night

The Binelli-Ferman Duo and oboist Leanne Nicholls join City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong conducted by Germán Augusto Gutiérrez in this exhilarating compilation of tango arrangements by Daniel Binelli. Each work on this album holds a chapter in the evolution of the tango, from its waterfront roots in the night-time taverns of the Río de la Plata (Buenos Aires and Montevideo) to the concert halls of today. Moreover, the bandoneón, the instrument that symbolizes the tango and permeates its history, takes the spotlight. The journey begins with Ángel Villoldo’s El Choclo, the best-known tango from the early 1900s and the era known as ‘La Guardia Vieja’ (The Old Guard). Here we experience a type of habanera blended with European music. Palomita Blanca, a waltz with lyrics by Francisco Garcia Gimenez, represents the romantic phase of the 1920s and 1930s when the great poets started writing words for the tango. During this time tango became immensely fashionable in European society. We then move to the 1940s when the grandiose dance halls became a hub for the big-time tango orchestras of Aníbal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Carlos di Sarli and Juan D’Arienzo. Around this period the sound of the bandoneón became inextricably linked to tango. In the 1950s Mariano Mores introduced new instruments to the tango including organ, keyboard, drums and bass. Horacio Salgán, a classically-trained pianist, became a transitional figure between the classic tango of the 1940s and the avant-garde style. Liberated from the need to please dancers, he achieved a brilliant balance between tradition and innovation, and further established the importance of the piano in tango music. In the 1960s the great Astor Piazzolla emerged as a revolutionary force in the tango world. He blended elements of classical and jazz in his music and shocked the traditionalists with his revolutionary ‘tango nuevo’ for the concert hall. From the 1990s we have Daniel Binelli who is the torchbearer of Piazzolla. His works represent the sound of tango today. Our tango journey ends fittingly with a step backwards to 1917 in Matos Rodríguez’s La Cumparsita, a tango traditionally played as the last dance of the evening.
Ángel Villoldo was a poet and a singer who published a large collection of creole folksongs and popular Argentine songs. Composed in 1903, El Choclo (The Ear of Corn) holds a memorable place in the history of the tango. Its irresistible rhythm and melody led to a first performance by a classical orchestra in an exclusive restaurant, where it posed as a creole dance. Ángel Villoldo’s lyrics describe the ear of corn as the tastiest ingredient of the puchero, a popular meat and vegetable stew in Argentina. Earning a living was generally referred to as ‘earning the puchero’, and Ángel Villoldo hoped that the success of his composition would bring food to his table. His dream came true as El Choclo became a classic, selling over 30,000 copies!
Mariano Mores was a performer and composer who worked with some of the most famous tango orchestras of his day. He wrote soundtracks for various films and took roles in some classic movies. In 1948 he founded Orquesta de Cámara del Tango and Orquesta Lírica and later the modern tango sextet, and with these ensembles introduced new instruments to the tango. In 2000 Mariano Mores was voted Best Tango Composer of the Century by the local authorities in Argentina. His Tanguera with its surging melody offers a heady mix of bandoneón, piano and pizzicato strings.
Bandoneónist, bandleader and composer/arranger, Daniel Binelli has successfully extended the new music of Buenos Aires through his modern collaborations with classical, jazz and rock musicians. Composed in 2008 and premiered in Hong Kong in 2010, Tango in the Night also features on the soundtrack to the Indie feature film Tango Shalom. Written in the style of a European tango, the work depicts the mystery, the romance and the nightlife bustle of Buenos Aires, a city where tourists and locals mingle at milongas held at street cafes, restaurants and bars until dawn. The mood swings from seductive to playful and stirring, and the entire work concludes with a well-known melody called a milonga-candombe. On this recording we also hear Daniel Binelli’s Tango de los Cuadros for bandoneón and piano duo, composed in 1998 as a hommage to Osvaldo Pugliese.
Julián Plaza was a well-known player of the piano and the bandoneón and a composer/arranger. He was interested in the evolution and progression of the tango and wrote works in a style influenced by Piazzolla which were performed by the famous Aníbal Troilo and Osvaldo Pugliese Orchestras. In 1968 Julián Plaza founded the Sexteto Tango for whom he wrote the soundtracks for two films. His Nocturna takes the form of a milonga with an urban flavour.
Horacio Salgán was an outstanding pianist who started his career playing for silent movies before joining the Orquesta Típica Roberto Firpo. In 1944 he set up his own ensemble comprising four bandoneóns, piano, strings and a singer. This gave him the possibility to experiment as a composer and go on to pioneer a new style. In the 1960s he formed his Quinteto Real which performed sophisticated instrumental tangos designed for listening rather than dancing. In addition to elevating the traditional tango to the status of solo and chamber music, Horacio Salgán’s works show influences from jazz, Brazilian folk music and classical composers including Béla Bartók and Gioachino Rossini. Written in 1947, Don Agustín Bardi is considered to be one of Horacio Salgán’s most well-known compositions.
Anselmo Aieta was a leading bandoneón player and a prodigious composer. A traditionalist, he resisted the new revolutionary ways of bandoneón playing. His own orchestra employed some prominent tango musicians, and was in great demand for performances in cafes, cinemas and clubs. Besides tangos, Anselmo Aieta composed music of other genres including waltzes, pasodobles, zambas and milongas. His works were highly acclaimed for their spontaneity and originality, and were performed regularly by the most successful orchestras of the time including those of Aníbal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese and Fransisco Canaro. Palomita Blanca (Little White Dove) is a waltz composed by Anselmo Aieta in 1929.
Aníbal Troilo was a legendary bandleader and bandoneónist who defined the instrument for his generation with his expressive playing. He not only devoted himself to preserving the tradition of the sentimental tango but also exercised a strong influence on its development, advancing the style of his forebears and establishing the sound many consider to be classic tango. In the 1940s his orchestra was renowned for its instrumentalists and was the preferred choice of social dancers. Astor Piazzolla, a fan of the Aníbal Troilo orchestra, became a member and had a number of his pieces played by the ensemble. After Aníbal Troilo’s death Piazzolla composed a suite dedicated to his memory called Troileana. Revered today as the “last living myth of the tango”, Aníbal Troilo left a small output of romantic melodies as illustrated in Responso.
Astor Piazzolla was a virtuoso of the bandoneón who held a life-long identity with the tango and its evolution. After studying composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, he returned to Argentina where he infused the indigenous tango with infectious melodies, lively rhythms, chromaticism, dissonance, and jazz elements. This new and revolutionary type of intoxicating dance, known as ‘tango nuevo’ initially met with some hostility by the traditionalists. Today, however, it is widely acknowledged that Astor Piazzolla’s influence rescued the tango from inevitable decline. Libertango, a song to liberty, was written in Rome in 1947 when Astor Piazzolla was experimenting with inventive instrumentation towards a more commercial, rock and jazz-influenced sound. Percussive and relentlessly urgent, the bandoneón takes a central role in Daniel Binelli’s breathtaking arrangement. Oblivion is one of the most memorable pieces of music from Marco Bellocchio’s screen adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s classic play Enrico IV (Henry IV) released in 1984. Scored for solo oboe and strings, its compellingly nostalgic tune has made it one of Astor Piazzolla’s greatest tango masterpieces. Composed in 1963, Fracanapa is a dance reminiscent of the milonga and was a popular inclusion in concert programmes throughout Astor Piazzolla’s career. It is a typical example of the composer’s exploration of percussive rhythms and dissonant sounds. Astor Piazzolla’s Verano Porteño (Summer) is derived from The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires Suite composed in 1964. Daniel Binelli’s adaptation for bandoneón and piano duo was created to showcase the two instruments on an equal footing with the inclusion of some improvisation in the new tango style.
Matos Rodríguez was a Uruguayan pianist and composer who wrote incidental pieces for the theatre in Buenos Aires and music for film scores. For a brief time he led his own tango orchestra in his hometown of Montevideo. Composed in 1917, La Cumparsita (The Little Marching Band), remains one of the most famous and recognizable tango songs of all time. It captures the nostalgic and sensual nature of the dance, sometimes insistent, at other times subdued. In 1997 this work was legally named as the cultural anthem of Uruguay. Immensely popular at milongas, La Cumparsita is traditionally played as the last dance of the evening, making for a fitting end to this tango compilation.

© Jane Downer, Polly Ferman, Leanne Nicholls