The TangOpera project returns with its heady fusion of tango and high art. Join us to celebrate the release of their much-awaited debut album, TangOpera: a Journey Through the Lyric Routes of the Argentine Tango. A celebration of cultural diversity, the programme illuminates the rich and complex history of the Argentine tango, tracing its trajectory through the trade routes of the Atlantic, which provided the melting pot for a diverse range of influences towards the development of the world’s arguably most multicultural art form.

African rhythms rub shoulders with Italian bel canto opera and canzonetta, Cuban  habanera, Spanish flamenco, Brazilian maxixe, French chanson, and Eastern European folk tunes, their traces revealed in the juxtaposition of opera and zarzuela arias, lieder, tangos and musical theatre songs, by composers as seemingly disparate as Puccini, Bizet, Guastavino, Piazzolla, Falla, Poulenc, Weill, Lecuona, Rachmaninov and Cole Porter.

The event offers a rare opportunity to hear the exhilarating voices of two leading Argentine opera stars: soprano Jaquelina Livieri, and Latin Grammy Nominee Leonardo Pastore – ‘an extraordinary tenor whose heart beats to the tango’ (Echoes Magazine).

Accompanied by full ensemble, the line-up also includes guest performances by dancers
from the LDA Tango Company. The beautiful gothic church of St James’s Sussex Gardens provides the perfect setting in which to enjoy an evening of irreverent musical border-crossings and surrender yourself to the seductive allure of the tango.

TangOpera Project features:
Leonardo Pastore tenor
Jaquelina Livieri soprano
Helen Glaisher-Hernández piano
Elena Jáuregui violin
Laura Peribañez cello
Emre Gökalp guitar
Mirek Salmon bandoneon
LDA Tango Company

‘Magical.’ BBC Radio 3
‘So beautiful.’ BBC Radio 4
‘Strong performances.’ The Guardian
‘Full of vitality.’ The Times