Tango

Tango music is the style of music that accompanies the tango style of dance whose present forms can originated in the Río de la Plata during the mid-19^th century. While there are also styles that originated in Cuba and Spain in the 19^th and early 20^th century, all forms stress the influence of African communities on the tango dance and music, as well as the use of instruments and techniques brought by European immigrants. In its early years the tango was mostly played by and for the lower classes, but in the 20s tango spread in popularity across Europe, then the United States, and was soon considered a more respectable form of music and dance performed by and for the upper and middle class. This led to the “Golden Age” of tango music, often considered to be from 1935 to 1952. During this period tango music was performed by orquestas tipicas—orchestras that specialized in popular music of the time. These groups often included over a dozen performers. The orquestas tipicas existed very parallel to the big band era of the United States, with the most popular band leaders like Osvaldo Pugliese and Carlo di Sarli recorded many pieces with their orchestras.  Tango nuevo came to dominate the later age of tango, with composers like Ástor Piazzolla trying to create a more academic form. This style of tango music sought to break classical tango forms and create a jazz-fusion style. One of the most recent styles to emerge is the neotango style which features anything from a subtle to a dominant electronic influence pioneered by groups like Tanghetto and Gotan Project.

Join the Michigan Philharmonic April 14^th at 7:30pm in P.A.R.C. for our Danzones y Tango: A Cabaret Café as we celebrate the rhythm, passion, and soul of Latin music and feature performances from Principal Cellist Amy Kuras and vocalist Kathryn Calzone. The orchestra will be playing music from Ástor Piazzolla and Leonard Bernstein to Gloria Estefan as well as a piece by our special guest composer Ricardo Lorenz.

Photo via: https://www.flickr.com/photos/prayitnophotography/15868911669/