- Composer
- Piazzolla, Astor
- Category
- Duo
- Instrumentation
- flute, guitar
Description
Astor Piazzolla’s four-movement work originally written for flute and guitar follows changing styles of tango, from Bordel 1900 to Concert d’aujourd’hui. Marimba performances also exist.
Marc Grauwels (flute) and Guy Lukowski (guitar) gave the premiere, as documented in the Marc Grauwels / Astoria recording booklet .
The movement summaries below follow Piazzolla’s own programme notes (recording booklet, PDF page 10) .
I. Bordel 1900 (Brothel, 1900)
A lively tango evokes playful conversation in the brothels.
II. Café 1930 (Café, 1930)
Tango becomes music for listening. Slower motion and melancholy harmonies create a romantic character.
III. Night-club 1960 (Nightclub, 1960)
Cultural exchange between Brazil and Argentina brings bossa nova and the new tango together.
IV. Concert d’aujourd’hui (Today’s Concert)
Tango meets modern musical ideas recalling Bartók and Stravinsky, looking towards its future.
Nat’s detailed Japanese analysis of Histoire du Tango discusses harmony, form and playing techniques across all four movements. It also quotes Japanese translations of Piazzolla’s programme notes.
Versions
- Histoire du Tango — Flute and guitar — Original (flute, guitar)
- Histoire du Tango — Marimba and bandoneon performance form (Radio France, 2024) — Other form (marimba, bandoneon)
- Histoire du Tango — Junko Sakimura adaptation of the guitar part for marimba — Arrangement (marimba)
Sources
- https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/booklets/ALY/booklet-TROY1186.pdf
- https://www.henry-lemoine.com/en/partitions-par-instrument/797-histoire-du-tango.html
- https://www.radiofrance.fr/personnes/juanjo-mosalini
- https://www.cimbalom.net/2026/06/07/885/
- https://www.sakimura.org/2017/01/3718/
- https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/booklets/FGL/booklet-FUG608.pdf