Into the New Year with Tango Rhythms

The end of the year is a time for a final dance, unexpected discoveries, and music. Together with the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, the Belgian ensemble SONICO presents a programme that takes audiences back to a period when, in the mid-20th century, tango underwent one of its greatest transformations in Buenos Aires. What had long been associated primarily with dance halls gradually found its way onto the concert stage, with two Argentine composers — Ástor Piazzolla and Eduardo Rovira — at the centre of this change. One of their names is now known around the world, while the other’s creative legacy has only in recent decades begun to receive wider recognition.Although both composers sought to expand the boundaries of tango, their artistic paths developed in different directions. Piazzolla became the symbol of the nuevo tango movement, while Rovira followed a distinctive path, combining tango tradition even more boldly with the musical ideas of his time. His less frequently performed works have found new life thanks to the Brussels-based ensemble SONICO. The musicians have dedicated themselves to exploring Rovira’s surviving compositions and have brought back to the stage a composer who is increasingly recognised today as one of the most important figures of the new tango.

On this New Year’s Eve, tango will return to the stage not only as music — Argentine tango dancers Martín Vicente and Ayelén Urrutia will join the performers. Their choreography will continue the musical narrative, revealing the dialogue and emotional intensity that lie at the very heart of tango.