Modern Tango World N° 6 (Montreal, Quebec) | Page 23

In 1978 , Romulo Larrea arrived in Montreal , from Uruguay . With two years experience as a bandoneonist , he performed with Montreal ’ s first tango group , Tango x 4 , an initiative of Ramon Pelinski . The group would later become Quartango who produced Quebec ’ s first tango album in 1984 , Musica Viva , . Romulo Larrea defines himself as a passionate dreamer of wonderful music . He sees the ensemble as the success of an immigrant artist in the process of integrating into his host country . The objective has been to preserve an authentic tango , with the collaboration of local musicians . Through his involvement for over 35 years in the diffusion of tango through prestigious tours and a collection of tango albums , he lives his dream . And this was done with a fundamental presence of Quebec musicians — a successful integration via music !
Quartango , for its part , has become very active internationally , with eight albums and numerous awards to its name . Popular with the public , as well as critics , Quartango offers a nuanced music of mixed colors , both anchored in the classical tradition and modernity with an effervescence for live perfomances .
Since the late 1990s , the popularity of tango has grown substantially in Montreal . Several new musical groups have made their appearance , providing a variety of different styles . from traditional tango to contemporary and nuevo to tango blended with folkloric or classical music .
Intakto is a musical group that was formed in 1995 with Alejandro Venegas , singer-guitarist of Chilean origin and Quebec ’ s Simon Claude ( violin ), Hugo Larenas ( guitar ), Sébastien Pellerin ( double bass ) and Éric Breton ( percussion ). Their first album , Intakto , earned them a Prix Félix in 2002 . Their second , Todavía , was released in 2007 . The band found success on the local and international music scene . In 2016 , they launched Lazos , an album of which they describe as an album of true and enduring friendship , the best kind of antidote to the passage of time ..
In 1998 , pianist Victor Simon formed Ensemble Montreal Tango with Carmen Piculeata ( violin ) and Christophe Papadimitriou ( double bass ). In 2000 , the ensemble presented the show Tango Tango with Uruguayan bandoneonist Nestor Vaz Chaves . Denis Plante joined the ensemble in 2005 and they gave a concert at the Festival de Lanaudière . The ensemble is identified as one of the new cornerstones of tango nuevo in Quebec . In 2008 , they recorded several albums , including Enamorada . Victor Simon also developed courses on the interpretation of tango music for dancers , during which he played the piano , to the delight of the participants .
Sweatshop Tango was created in the 2000s . It is a Montreal quintet of young musicians from Argentina and Canada . Inspired by Astor Piazzolla and other composers such as Rodolfos Mederos and Gustavo Beytelmann . They skillfully play music from nuevo with an authentic touch . The group brings together musicologist Jonathan Goldman ( accordion ), Chantale Bergeron ( violin ), Amy Zanrosso ( piano ), Pablo Seib ( double bass ) and Pablo Bonacina ( guitar ) in an interesting tango language discovery .
“ Le tango , comme musique , comme émotion , comme expérience , comme geste , reste ”
Tango , as music , as emotion , as experience , as gesture , remains relevant ! To be alive , the tango must have live music !
— Damian Nisenson
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