argentango Zürich, September 2013 Dear organisers of Argentine tango, recently an interested organiser said that he is quite enthusiastic about Argentangos weekend on the Gran Orquestas of the Epoca de Oro, but has organised Joaquin Amenábar already. He could not imagine that it would make sense to schedule Argentango as well as Amenábar. Besides, since autumn 2012 there has been a book from Michael Lavocah on the market about the Gran Orquestas. We are sure that in short time we will hear that Argentangos lecture weekend does not make sense anymore, because now one can read Michael Lavocah’s book. This view of the topic is too one dimensional for Argentango. The workshop GOs of the EdO has as its key element dancing with the music instead of against it for 90% of dances. This is something that few can achieve in one or two weekend events and/or a book. Once introduced, this topic keeps dancers occupied for years, on different levels of knowledge – and in our opinion for the rest of the dancing life. It is not a coincidence that in Europe there now exists a chance on three different paths to introduce concepts which in most common classes are missed out. For two or three years now Europe has finally been ready for this central topic in Argentine tango, this catalyst in the development of dance. The different concepts and exercises, pictures and words from the three complementary paths will increase the prospects of dancers which use these offers together. That is why we from Argentango recommend warmly to organisers in every local scene, not to decide between Amenábar or Argentango, but to realise both offers and in parallel to recommend the book of Lavocah over and over again to their dancers and to have it always on stock for selling. Kind regards Christian Tobler + Monika Diaz Verein Argentango · Monika Diaz + Christian Tobler · Switzerland – 8044 Zürich · Hofstrasse 117 am Bircher-Benner-Platz · www.argentango.ch · [email protected] · +41 442 525 625 · Bankverbindung: Raiffeisenbank Zürich – Inhaber: M. Diaz / Argentango – IBAN: CH31 8148 7000 0072 3012 0 Introdueion to xe musical diversity and artiwic perfeeion of xe Época de Oro: Music leeure about Tango Argentino wix Chriwian Tobler + Monika Diaz Pedro Maffia conducts a 25 man orchestra in the end of the 20s Sat. Oct. 11th + Sun. Oct.12th 2013: d’Arienzo – di Sarli – Pugliese: these Gran Orquestas every- Bertazzo-Rudel-Schmidt body knows. But what about the approximately two dozen present in La Yumba – Hamburg further ensembles that can be heard at every good Milonga? Introdueion to xe Gran Orquewas of xe Argentango’s musical lecture, specially devised for dancers, Época de Oro for Tango-de-Salón-dancers presents more than twenty Gran Orquestas with musical xat cannot stay seated: examples and shows correlations, without becoming boring Época-de-Oro-cycle part one or getting lost in anecdotes. In addition, background wix Chriwian Tobler + Monika Diaz information is delivered about the Epoca de Oro. Further- more, Monika Diaz and Christian Tobler give a short introduction to dancing Argentine Tango in the frame of musical phrases, the actual key to having fun while dancing. After the weekend dancers can start to handle musical Saturday Milonga tradicional: interpretation in the fascinating musical diversity of the six hours of pure Epoca de Oro with greater differentiation, especially the Gran Orquewas of xe Época de Oro vocal treasures of this ultimate repertoire. www.argentango.ch Program + Details please register early, number of places is limited, dance partner is an advantage, but no requirement and don’t forget your dance shoes 1st Day: 1st Part Rodolfo Biagi Francini-Pontier Gran Orquestas 1 uncompromisingly arranged for dancers, sophisticated + virtuoso up to the fingertips, Juan d’Arienzo nervous, but just almost monotone two outstanding musicians the retrovolution from 1935, Osvaldo Fresedo Alfredo Gobbi jr. four Gran Orquestas in one no, the first iconoclast the balancing of tradition and modernity Enrique Rodríguez was not de Caro continues continues to the present an Orquesta Characteristica, Hermanos de Caro Roberto Firpo which was a damned good Típica more modernity than everything, that is everything is rhythm is everything, Francisco Lomuto musically wriggling + flapping todday an evolutionist becomes a traditionalist the Gran Orquesta of the establishment Pedro Laurenz Lucio Demare and his addicion to Jazz the energy of a hyperventilating perfectionist with a classy repertoire, Edgardo Donato bulldozer tames itself a picture-perfect career pure Italianita in the midst of Buenos Aires 2nd Day: 4th Part Francisco Canaro Gran Orquestas 3 the king of the genre milonga Aníbal Troilo has created a tango empire the king of creative diversity was the favourite of all musicians 1st Day: 2nd Part Ángel d’Agostino background information the favorite of many Porteños . play technical skills a master in understatement enlightened listening as a key Ricardo Tanturi to the Época de Oro the orchestra with two singers the era of the Gran Orquestas that could not be more different Christian Tobler and Monika Diaz about the musical-economical situation OTV + Carabelli in the golden 1940s the commercial-artistic tightrope walk Place the technical avantgarde der 1930s of a record label Tanzstudio La Yumba about the level of the recording technique then, Alfredo de Angelis D – 20 359 Hamburg · Kastanienallee 9 the playback technique today in the shadow of Pugliese, highway 7km · rail station 4km · airport 11km Mix 1930s-, 1940s- and 1950s the second dramatic orchestra and it’s singers about the approprirate balance Lecture/workshop in every great milonga 2nd Day: 5th Part Oct. 11th + 12th 2013 · 12:00 –17:30 a key for dancing ÉdO music with 2 breaks 15 min each · consumption in room dancing in the frame of musical phrases admission 11:30 · start 12:00 sharp short introduction into the technique Milonga that lets Tango-de Salón dancers fly Oct. 11th 2013 · 20:00 – 02:00 Costs 2nd Day: 6th Part price for early birds untill June 30th: € 95 Linares, Bermudez and Laurenz in Radio Belgrano Gran Orquestas 4 regular price from July 01st: € 110 Osvaldo Pugliese students up to 25 with ID: € 85 1st Day: 3rd Part compositional complexity and milonga Saturday without lecture: € 7 Gran Orquestas 2 a challenge for dancers Registation email · info telephone Carlos di Sarli Miguel Caló [email protected] · +49 40 721 2119 for 20 years simply the most elegant the best musicians in town set standards Organizer Gran Orquesta wide and far in playing techniques Tanzstudio La Yumba OHG · Hamburg Organizer Blog post Pictures Points of view Speakers + TJ Badground Information to xe Event – for Organizers The question cannot be answered in two or three sentences wild overhead loudspeaker construction suggested that so- of what an organiser and a local TA-Scene in a region can mebody had given thought to what he did. This thing would expect from Argentangos workshop about the music of the be hard to top concerning imaginativeness, and the ques- Gran Orquestas of the Epoca de Oro, the golden age. In tion arose in me of whether this effort of a rope team be - our experience, the reactions of the visitors are too hetero - tween ceiling, active loudspeakers, passive loudspeakers geneous. Naturally the flyer provides information about the and other equipment does pay back somehow and is worth it? multimedia-based content delivered in diverse ways during Punctuality was set a high value on and so the weekend the weekend. But as important are all the insights and hear- for all senses started. Monika Diaz and Christian Tobler sights that participants gain, between the lines and notes, lead skilfully through the different Gran Orquestras of the that provoke thought processes and development that con - Epoca de Oro, amusing, fascinating, very interesting desig- tinue to have an effect. ned with pictures of long ago days, background knowledge To reduce it to a common denominator we dare to say that of different constellations of the then artists and naturally more than three quarters of the participants go home enri- with many many musical examples. This was the moment ched. Furthermore the weekend has a long lasting effect on when it became clear to me what genius construction hung the hearts, ears, heads and feet of the participants. Up to over our heads. What a benefit for my ears, completely nearly a year after such an event we receive individual feed- stress free and relaxed there came a sound-quality that I back, because the workshop is a boost stimulation for the had never heard before. It was like a glance into a clear dancing journey towards its core. lake. On the bottom I saw the musicians play and their tones But we do not want to hide that 10 to 20 percent of the came to me unadulterated. participants cannot (yet, hope dies last) comprehend or re- Did I ever notice a straw violin? Or the gentle sound of a fuse completely at least parts of Argentango’s point of view. harp? Was I aware how sensuous a piano can sound? Or It is in the nature of things that someone who takes a firm how demanding a bandoneon? Did I ever realise how fan- stand instead of beating around the bush provokes contra- tastic, versatile and deep the music of the Epoca de Oro diction, too. We do have a message which for some parti - was? For most of the readers this is most likely old news. cipants is uncommon/unfamiliar. Anything else though would For me the whole weekend was an expedition in a land of be quite boring for a whole weekend. which I thought I would know it, but I was disabused.