A tango dancer from Europe encouraged me not to miss the concert on Saturday nights at Club del Vino. It was 1997 during my third visit to Buenos Aires. I found another foreign woman who was interested in joining me, so I went to get half-price tickets the afternoon of the concert. In those days, it was thirty dollars for the concert not thirty pesos. We were both on a budget.
We arrived before the starting time of 22hs. and were pleasantly surprised to be seated all the way down in front at the edge of the stage. These were the best seats in the house for us. We could see the musicians up close, smiling back at us during the concert. And what a concert it was.
Today, while rummaging through some old files, I came across the program I saved from that memorable night in September 1997 at Club del Vino in Palermo.
Nestor Marconi has been in charge of directing the Orquesta Escuela del Tango Emilio Balcarce since Balcarce retired for the second time two years ago. His son Leandro is following in his footsteps playing tango on piano.
Nelly Omar is 98 and gave a concert at Luna Park at the beginning of May. She was the muse of Homero Manzi.
Antonio Agri is gone, but his legacy remains in the hands of his son Pablo who continues in his father’s tradition on violin.
Horacio Salgan was last seen on stage when Café de los Maestros performed in Teatro Colon in August 2006. He’s in his 90s and has passed the torch to his son César who has released a compact disc of his father’s unpublished piano works: Raras Partituras.
I’m glad I took that dancer’s advice and attended the concert. Club del Vino is closed. Salgan no longer performs. Agri is gone. It was a night I will remember with tango’s greats.
Tags: Cafe de los Maestros, tango
