MisaTango is a choral mass on Tango sounds. It is composed on the same movements as a mass in classical Latin, in which the harmonics and syncopated rhythms of tango are mixed.

The composer also introduces the emblematic instrument of tango, the bandoneon, soloist alongside a string orchestra (violins, violas, cellos and double bass) and the piano. A mezzo-soprano solo part punctuates the work, responding to the mixed choir. The last part of the CD consists of three compositions by Astor Piazzolla, who would have had his 100th birthday this year.

MisaTango was composed between September 1995 and April 1996 by the Argentine composer Martín Palmeri.

The work gained much notoriety when it was performed in Rome in October 2013, in the Church of St Ignatius of Loyola, during the International Festival of Music and Sacred Art in the Vatican. The MisaTango was chosen that year to pay tribute to the enthronement of the former cardinal of Buenos Aires who became Pope Francis in 2013, in reference to the Argentine origins of this former Tango dancer.

“This work was written with the intention of offering my choirs a choral symphonic work that could bring us closer to the tango repertoire. Indeed, working with my choirs, I have found how difficult and complex the interpretation of traditional tangos by choirs is. This work is therefore a tribute to choirs and tango as well as to its creators. But it is also the result of a spontaneous production, the fruit of my experience as a choir director, pianist and tango arranger.” – Martín Palmeri

ASTORIA has the special feature of performing exclusively Astor Piazzolla’s master work, adapted and transcribed by accordionist Christophe Delporte.

As an ensemble with a varied combination of four to eight musicians, all graduated from Royal Conservatories and laureates of international contests, ASTORIA imposes their own identity through the energy, the rigor and the emotion they express in their interpretation.

By highlighting the Argentine master’s genius, ASTORIA preserves the rhythmical and melodic enchantment of the original scores. Since its creation in 2004, the ensemble has presented the music of Astor Piazzolla on the biggest Belgian and international stages and participates in various festivals (Brussels Summer Festival, Basilica Festival van Vlaanderen, Bugari Festival, Musiq’3 Festival, Festival de Castelfidardo (Italy), Festival International des Cyclades (Greece).

Through their lively thrilling music, which evokes love, hope, suffering and melancholy, ASTORIA will lead you from the suburbs of Buenos Aires to the hot lands of the tropical flora.

ASTORIA:
- Isabelle Chardon (violin)
- Jennifer Scavuzzo (vocals)
- Eric Chardon (cello)
- Adrien Tyberghein (double bass)
- Léonardo Anglani (piano)
- Christophe Delporte (accordion, bandoneon, arrangements)