Chamber Concert

In this chamber concert, the musicians do something about immobility – with a varied selection of Argentine dances covering a wide range of styles. If nothing else, one can dance along in spirit, and perhaps the audience will actually get up and start dancing too. There are many sides to these works for you to discover, ranging from melancholy to vitality. Waltzes in three-four time are played, but in a specific version: French musette waltzes were imported to Latin America around 1900 by travelling Argentinians and European immigrants, and then intermingled with tango, resulting in a very smooth and melodious form. The milonga stems from the traditional gaucho culture: it captivates with its driving rhythm and is often called the much happier sister of the tango – that sensual dance once described as a meeting of »two serious faces and four feet«. As the tango initially had a bad reputation in Buenos Aires in »taverns of the worst sort«, composers such as Astor Piazzolla were the ones who revolutionised it: with the »Tango nuevo«, a modified version emerged that is more at home in the concert hall than on the dance floor. The programme brings the fascinating world of this exciting cultural space to the stage with a wonderfully varied selection of pieces. Of course, the characteristic sounds of the bandoneon are a must – and tapping your feet along is naturally encouraged; after all, Plato himself was convinced that »dance is the art that moves the human soul the most.«