Monthly Archive for October, 2008

Festival in Antwerp: Tiempo Argentino

Published on October 30, 2008 in Antwerp, News and festival. 2 Comments

Tonight is the start of the Antwerp Tango Festival Tiempo Argentino. This is what is in store:

THU, Oct 30: Opening milonga @ Ballroom Atheneum Deurne (20:00)

FRI, Oct 31: First Grand Gala Ball @ Art Nouveau hall Grand Cafe Horta (21:00)

SAT, Nov 1: Second Grand Gala Ball @ Art Nouveau hall Grand Cafe Horta (21:00)

SUN, Nov 2: Closing Milonga @ De Foyer / Bourlaschouwburg (18:00)

Of course there are also a lot of workshops, performances by visiting maestros and live orchestras. Check out the festival programme!

(REMARK: site is no longer available!)

Tango Toppers: Rodolfo Biagi

Published on October 29, 2008 in Tango toppers, history and music. 0 Comments

Number three in our series of Tango Toppers: Rodolfo Biagi.

Rodolfo Alberto Biagi was born in the Buenos Aires district of San Telmo on March 14, 1906 to Sixto & Ana Maria Gil Landaburu. At the age 13 he graduated from the Conservatory de la Prensa where he had originally studied to be a concert violinist but gradually had converted to the piano. After earning his first money accompanying the silent films (from the piano keyboard) shown at the Colon cinema he was invited by the legendary Juan “Pacho” Maglio to play in his orchestra at barely 15 years of age, sharing the lectern with the celebrated viloinist Elvino Vadaro.

His top ‘hit’ is “Lagrimas y Sonrisas”, a tango vals you probably know.

The rest of the top 10 is as follows:

#1	Lagrimas Y Sonrisas	3090
#2	Adoracion	135
#3	El Entrerriano	113
#4	El Recodo	76
#5	Picante	63
#6	Union Civica	57
#7	Golgota	57
#8	Campo Afuera	54
#9	Cicatrices	47
#10	Racing Club	38

Photos: La Tangueria – Alex & Mimma

Published on October 27, 2008 in Brussels, milonga, performance, photo and video. 0 Comments

Last Sunday was a Tangueria milonga with some special guests: Alex & Mimma from Rome. They started with a choreography they created for an opera and continued with some more fine tango. Their encore was a milonga that was really well appreciated, as you can see on the video below.

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Tango Toppers: Astor Piazzolla

Published on October 25, 2008 in history and music. 0 Comments

Number two in out Tango Toppers list, and quite a famous one: Astor Piazzolla.

Ástor Piazzolla (March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. An excellent bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with different ensembles. He is known in his native land as “El Gran Ástor” (“The Great Ástor”).
Astor Piazzolla

This is him performing “Libertango”.

So what are the 10 most popular songs people listen to of his (according to last.fm data)?

#1	Libertango	21396
#2	Adios Nonino	12109
#3	Milonga Del Angel	9389
#4	Oblivion	5012
#5	Verano Porteño	4334
#6	Fear	4107
#7	Mumuki	3755
#8	Por Una Cabeza	3719
#9	Chau Paris	3665
#10	Tanguedia Iii	3626

Photos: Urbango – “Aires de dos orillas”

Published on October 18, 2008 in Brussels, concert and photo. 0 Comments

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Tango Toppers: Osvaldo Pugliese

Published on October 16, 2008 in history and music. 0 Comments

Getting to know tango music is quite a task. While you may hear it being played everytime you dance, you don’t always know the names of the composers and performers. Who’s song is ‘Poema’? (Francisco Canaro) Who wrote ‘Llorar por una mujer (“quererla y no tenerla“)? (Enrique Rodriguez) Who plays ‘La Cumparsita’? (just about everyone) So here’s an idea: I’m going to publish a top 10 of popular songs per composer/orchestra. The data I use comes from last.fm.

The first one: Osvaldo Pugliese, best known for his ‘La Yumba’. How does that sound again? Well, see if you recognize this song:

The Pugliese top 10 of songs on Last.fm goes like this:

#1	La Yumba	1617
#2	Recuerdo	1016
#3	Desde El Alma	878
#4	Gallo Ciego	612
#5	Mala Junta	459
#6	La Mariposa	417
#7	Chique	349
#8	Despues	295
#9	Malandraca	289
#10	Chacabuqueando	267