Instruments: The heart and soul of musicians
Exploring the essential instruments that bring tango music to life and their emotional significance for the musicians
Interviews at Tango & Tango (2024-07-20) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
Family inheritance
Between the noise of the workshop and the melody of an old radio, little Lautaro Greco discovered his destiny. The bandoneon awaited him, as it awaited his father and grandfather, an inheritance of sighs and buttons that runs through his blood.
Rehearsal of the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-11) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
A window to the future
An arm in a cast, a window in the city of Campana, and fate winking at him. Mariano Cigna had no idea that seeing that bandoneon, a relic from another time, would begin his love affair with the instrument.
Rehearsal of the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-11) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
The giant instrument
Juan Pablo Navarro's double bass is more than wood and strings: it's a traveling companion, a giant that always sparks questions and jokes from friends and strangers alike, whispering secrets in its lowest notes. "My little King Kong cell phone," he says lovingly.
Rehearsal of the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-11) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
Music of the maestro
Roberto Segret never met Piazzolla, but his cello recreates the maestro's melodies. Between the strings live the echoes of those who did play with him, a chain of music and memory that cannot be broken.
Rehearsal of the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-11) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
Childhood dreams
Pablo San Giorgio was just a child when the violin called out to him on two occasions: in the seats of the Colón, where he saw the maestros play, and at home, where Vivaldi painted the seasons. He knew in his heart that he had found his voice in those four strings.
'Bandoneonazo' performance by the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-12) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
A symphony
In the orchestra, the instruments talk to each other. The bandoneon sighs, the violin cries, the double bass marks the pulse of the city. Each tells their story, but together they tell the story of Buenos Aires.
'Bandoneonazo' performance by the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-12) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
Magical moments
There are magical moments when everything aligns: the musician, the instrument, the melody. Moments when time stands still and only music exists, moments that justify a life dedicated to art.
'Bandoneonazo' performance by the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-12) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
History of a sound
The wood of each instrument holds the traces of those who played it before. Troilo's fingers, Vardaro's bow, Pichuco's bandoneon: beloved ghosts that continue to resonate.
'Bandoneonazo' performance by the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-12) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
Instruments have memory
Every day, musicians return to their instruments as if they were returning home. They tune, they practice, they search for that unique sound that only they and their wooden partner can create together.
'Bandoneonazo' performance by the Tango Orchestra (2024-07-12) by Lucia Inés OteizaThe National Secretariat of Culture of Argentina
Instruments as lifeblood
At every concert, at every rehearsal, the magic is repeated. Instruments come to life, musicians become transformed, and the tango flows as if it has always been there, as if it will always be there.
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