Primavera Porteña

What do tango dancing and piano duo performance have in common? Racing heartbeats, intense eye contact, physical friction, a charged chemistry, and an element of danger…

In transcribing the irresistible melodies of Astor Piazzolla (1933-1990) for four hands at one piano, we aimed to emulate the physical choreography of tango dancers, the sonic textures of a tango band, and, most importantly, the emotional spirit of the tango. We incorporate extended piano techniques as a metaphor for the tango’s forays into forbidden territory. Four-hand playing already hints at an intrinsic eroticism, but in our tango arrangements we dare to raise the heat and intensity to another level: we boldly invade one another’s personal space, while also exploring regions of the piano that typically remain unseen. The effect is at once sensual, visceral, and highly dramatic.

Certainly, the tango remains one of the most passionate and intimate forms of dance; it inspires a surrendering of the mundane to a realm of heightened awareness and experience. Piazzolla’s spicy Primavera Porteña (which literally means “spring season”) conjures up the bold energy of springtime. The piece opens with a dizzying fugue, then proceeds with the menace of a conflicted love affair. To capture the seductive and complex spirit of this tango, we created a cinematic, James Bond-inspired music video that highlights the “fancy footwork” of our constantly crossing—and dancing!—hands and arms.

Let Primavera Porteña take you on a riveting ride: feel free to lose yourself to the music's pounding aggression, luxuriate in a haze of mystery, and finally get carried away to the precipice of desire.