“Please, just for me, forget the steps… Hold me, feel the music, and give me your soul. Then I can give you mine.”
It is hard to imagine a dance that seems at once as passionate, intricate and alluring as the tango. As daunting as it is seductive, the tango has excited audiences worldwide for well over a century. While there is no shortage of drama in a well-executed tango, imagine what can happen when its seductive sensuality becomes the foundation for a stunning opera performed in one of Cincinnati's most cherished landmarks.
Prepare yourselves for a hot spring and considerably sultry – passionate even – summer as the tango gathers Cincinnatians in an irresistible embrace of culture and self-expression. Maria de Buenos Aries, a tango operita by Astor Piazzolla, is coming to Music Hall in late July thanks to a remarkable collaboration between the Cincinnati Opera, concert:nova and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Maria de Buenos Aries premiered in Argentina in 1968. The drama follows Maria’s journey into the darkest realms of society as she is seduced into a dangerous world through the passion of tango. Celebrated Colombian soprano Catalina Cuervo plays the title role, while baritone and artist diploma student at CCM Luis Alejandro Orozco plays several male roles. Argentine native and CCM graduate Jose Maria Condemi will direct the fully staged piece to be performed in the unconventional setting of the Music Hall Ballroom.
“The music of Piazzolla’s Maria is not just great tango writing for a small ensemble, it’s a mesmerizing and passionately evocative drama,” says Ixi Chen, artistic and managing director of concert:nova and clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. “Co-producing this with Cincinnati Opera will take it to a whole new level of dramatic intensity and dynamism. Concert:nova is looking forward to working with a cast, directors and dancers of consummate artistry.”
Speaking of dancers, Northside’s Tango del Barrio and Patricia Paz Tango have teamed up with the artistic collaborators of Maria de Buenos Aires to bring internationally recognized and Tony Award-winning tango dancers Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo to Cincinnati to perform the work’s tango pieces.
Audiences don’t have to wait until the summer, however, to experience the Argentine Tango. Ghi and Merlo will perform at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club Saturday, March 31, for a one-night-only engagement as part of a series of promotional performances leading up to Maria de Buenos Aries.
Ghi and Merlo pride themselves on creating original choreography for each performance. Thanks to the partnership between Tango del Barrio and Patricia Paz Tango, Cincinnatians will have the rare opportunity to see one of the most prominent couples in the world of Argentine Tango perform in an intimate setting. Currently touring the U.S. with their creation “This is Tango Now: Identidad,” Fernanda and Guillermo have agreed to make a special stop along their tour to present “This is Tango Now: Fragments,” a shorter version of “Identidad.”
“Audiences will see a nuanced and complex expression of tango - two people embracing and moving as one,” says Ella Moskovich of Tango del Barrio. “[Fragments] is a passionate, intricate and sensual dance accompanied by and integrated with a spellbinding musical score.”
Both native to Argentina, Ghi and Merlo have been living and working in the United States since 1997. They adhere to a demanding travel schedule to bring their specialty, the Argentine Tango, to audiences here and abroad.
With their show, “This is Tango Now: Identidad,” Fernanda and Guillermo hope to bring the many varieties of tango to audiences of all nationalities. “Tango is a universal dance,” says Fernanda. “We want to train others and show them how tango is a form of personal expression.”
If you can’t get enough tango after Saturday night’s performance, Fernanda and Guillermo will offer tango workshops on Sunday, April 1, and Monday, April 2, through Tango del Barrio in Northside. “We want people to understand the enormous potential of tango,” says Fernanda.
Ghi and Merlo will be back for the July 25 and 27 performances of Maria de Buenos Aires.
Do Good:
• See “This is Tango Now: Fragments” on March 31. Advance tickets can be purchased at
• Attend a tango workshop. Contact Tango del Barrio or Patricia Paz Tango.
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