Assai amoroso
Taken from Cherie’s blog, the above is an interesting multimedia presentation from Clarín about tango, with blips from musicians and dancers who tell us what tango means to them.
I am a bit piqued that there wasn’t a single piece of footage on how tango is being danced inside a real milonga… Oh well.
(Also, I didn’t know that someone named Valeria Lynch became the most important artist in the country in 1986. Note to self: Must search for Valeria in the tango music stores, and possibly catch her live while I am in Buenos Aires.)
Anyway, the inspiring thoughts and sentiments of the interviewed dancers and musicians made me think why tango is so alluring to me. Why the music is so moving, even though I don’t know the words… Why I persistently listen to scratched up recordings of ancient songs sung by men and women who are long since dead and gone… Why it still sounds so modern and relevant and fresh to someone living in another century, another city, another culture, another time.
And it reminded me of an alleged exchange that occurred between two artists almost a hundred years ago:
“The music salon at Chanel’s hotêl particulier was smothered in the odor of tuberose. Diaghilev led Igor to the massive polished Steinway and directed him to play a composition. On those first youthful and derivative pieces Markevitch played, Dighilev commented: ‘I have told you to prepare Tomorrow for me, and you are thinking only of Yesterday.’
Shy as he was at sixteen, Igor was nevertheless capable of a ready return: ‘I’m not interested in yesterday or today but what is forever.’”
-From “The Crazy Years: Paris in the Twenties”, by William Wiser
The tango is alive, because it is eternal.
Hi Nuit, two things: The article is from Clarín, a newspaper, not for Carlín (Ja, It really sounds funny in spanish, but is too complex to explain why).
Valeria Lynch was very well know in the eighties, but definitely not the most important artist in the ‘86. She is a ballad singer, with their own style, some people like it, some people don’t. If her album was the most sold in argentina, was, in fact, because and the eighties the tango just start to wake up. So it was natural that a popular singer sold more albums that a only tango singer, similar to what happen with the “tango” cd of Julio Iglesias (puajjj!!!) in some places.
In fact, I really doubt you can find that cd in any store, but you never know.
If you want to see a truly good female tango singer here look for Adriana Varela o “La furca” orchestra.
No wonder they don’t put the social dance there. Actually the dancers who appears, are just stage dance. Laura Fidalgo es a better know classical and jazz dancer, who happen to dance (not very good) tango today.
Nice to see you writing again.
Besos!
tanguillo!!
so glad to hear from you. :-D the typo is fixed, hehe.
there was a tango cd by julio iglesias?? i know he sang that famous song “caminito”… it was a drippy, strange version. my mother had an LP of it, so i grew up listening to it, hahaha…
thanks for the tip on adriana varela! i will definitely look for her live in baires. i am excited about all the live orchestras and tango singers i will be hearing in argentina… over here in new york, that is a rare treat, there are too few of those.
Hi Nuit, how are you?
Just wanted to mention, I bet you have already heard Adriana Varela and perhaps are unaware. Thing is, her voice is very masculine and husky, and until I knew who she was I always thought it was a man whenever I heard her. Probably her most famous song here in the states is the one she did with Bajofondo / Supervielle called “Perfume”.
Another modern female tango singer I really like is Dolores Solá, of La Chicana.
Anyway, I hope you have a great time when you go :)
hi malevito! thank you for turning my attention to dolores solá.
about perfume: i love the woman singing in that song!! so, it turns out i have heard adriana varela. it’d be lovely to hear her sing traditional tangos.
please send me more info about music! :-D
Hi Nuit,
Love your blog. Have been digging through it the last few days, now that school is out.
About Valeria Lynch - she is in the movie “Tango Bar” with Raul Julia.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096221/
It is really worth watching. I don’t care much for her singing though, and can’t believe that she was really a “tango” artist.
I love Adriana Varela. You can find video clips of her concerts on youtube. And her own website has some audio files. http://www.adrianavarela.com/
See also: http://www.todotango.com/ENGLISH/creadores/avarela.asp
Keep up the great writing.
-joe