Before summer projects loom, one more big project launch for the Concertante …
Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony and Lust …
No, not our colleagues in the marketing department. Those are in fact The Seven Sins of Tango, as mapped out by Pope Gregory in the 6th century.
Now, those emotions are brought to life in the form of Tango, with a compelling instrumental interpretation that’s accompanied by the European Tango dance champions, Adrien Bariki-Alaoui and Iro Davlanti-Lo of the Argentine Tango School.
I love these words from Adrien: “Tango is the incarnation of human connection, and in this day and age it makes it very special …
I think Tango attracts a lot of people who are not particularly into dance, but they are into depth and meaning, and I think Tango has this incredible depth … it’s almost something spiritual, something transformative, so when you see Tango being danced, you tend to remember it for the rest of your life.
As dancers, what is always exciting is improvisation, it is the unknown. And when you dance with live musicians, there is something that is always unexpected and exciting that happens …”
Here’s us rehearsing David’s crunchy arrangement of Libertango in the In Tune Studio at Broadcasting House, before playing it live on BBC Radio 3 – listen to our live performance here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002vbn2
What’s particularly exciting for me is that this project has been entirely arranged by David Gordon – The David Gordon! – the legendary jazz piano legend who collaborates with some of the very best musicians I know, like David Juritz and Milos the accordionist, and who intuits harmonic reimaginations of classics in ways that I can’t begin to understand at first glance.
With his assistant Seamus Heath, he’s reworked the harmonies and structures of classics such as Libertango, Por Una Cabeza and El Choclo, then added in a twist of originals and even a little bit of Baroque seasoning, to create delicious new flavours for piano, strings and accordion.
There’s total respect for the stylistic heritage, but somehow they twist the music this way and that, just to see what it can do…
What happens if we apply this unexpected harmonic structure to that rhythmic pattern?
What happens if we rework this voicing so that it inverts the energy of that phrase?
What happens if we just stop there? Then do that? Then add in that thing from two minutes ago?
… continue creatively ad infinitum …
And then technicians like me come along and we’re like …
Woah. What’s going on here?! How on earth can I do justice to this… 🙂
The answer? (I think/hope?)… Dive deep into the music.
I don’t quite know where this project will end up, but with the protagonists involved, I can absolutely guarantee it will be epic!
So please a) buy a ticket and b) wish me luck 😳
Tour starts Saturday 2nd May at Chichester Cathedral
Then:
Lincoln 8th May
Leeds 15th May
Manchester 24th May
Liverpool 24th May
Oxford 29th May
Sheffield 30th May
Norwich 6th June
(Then my lovely fellow scrapers will finish the tour in Hanover Square on 12th June and Exeter Cathedral on 26th June.)
Let me know if you’re coming – I’d love to welcome you at any of the shows. This one is NOT touring in the Autumn so please try and catch it now if you really want to see it, – I have no idea if it will be coming back after this season.
Tix here: Seven Sins of Tango