"El Rey del Compas" - El tango es para las orquestas

"In my point of view, tango is, above all, rhythm, nerve, strength and character. Early tango, that of the old stream (guardia vieja), had all that, and we must try not to ever lose it. Because we forgot that, Argentine tango entered into a crisis some years ago. Putting aside modesty, I did all was possible to make it reappear.

In my opinion, a good part of the blame for tango decline is on the singers. There was a time when a tango orchestra was nothing else but a mere pretext for the singer´s featuring. The players, including the leader, were no more than accompanists of a somewhat popular star. For me, that can´t be. Tango is also music, as is already said. I would add that is essentially music. In consequence, the orchestra, which plays it, cannot be relegated to the background to spotlight only the singer. On the contrary, it is for the orchestras and not for the singers. The human voice is not, it should not be another thing but an instrument more in the orchestra. To sacrifice everything for the singer´s sake, for the star, is a mistake. I reacted against that mistake which caused the tango crisis and placed the orchestra in the foreground and the singer in his place.

Furthermore, I tried to rescue for tango its masculine strength, which it had been losing through succesive circumstances. In that way in my interpretations I stamped the rhythm, the nerve, the strength and the character which distinguished it in the music world and which it had been losing for the above reasons. Luckily, that crisis was temporary, and today tango has been re-established, our tango, with the vitality of its best times. My major pride is to have contributed to that renaissance of our popular music."

Juan D'Arienzo, 1949 - 'Aqui Esta' magazine


"The foundation of my orchestra is the piano. I regard it as irreplaceable. When my pianist, Polito is ill, I replace him with Jorge Dragone. If something happens to the latter I´m at a loss. Then the fourth violin appears as an essential element. It must sound like a viola or a cello. I assemble my group with piano, double bass, five violins, five bandoneons and three singers. Less members, never. I had even used, for some recordings, up to ten violins.."

Juan D'Arienzo, 1975 (a month before his death)

Nostalgias...

Φοβεροί στίχοι που δένουν απόλυτα με την μουσική. Ένα τραγούδι που βγάζει προς τα έξω ακριβώς την ψυχή και το συναίσθημα που ένιωθαν οι δημιουργοί του και αγγίζει τον ακροατή μιλώντας κατευθείαν στην ψυχή του.



Quiero emborrachar mi corazon
para olvidar un loco amor
que mas que amor es un sufrir...
Y aqui vengo para eso,
a borrar antiguos besos
en los besos de otras bocas.
Si su amor fue flor de un dia,
por que causa es siempre mia
esta cruel preocupacion.
Quiero, por los dos, mi copa alzar
para olvidar mi obstinacion,
y mas la vuelvo a recordar.
Nostalgias
de escuchar su risa loca
y sentir junto a mi boca
como un fuego su respiracion...
Angustias
de sentirme abandonado
y sentir que otro a su lado
pronto, pronto le hablara de amor...
Hermano,
yo no quiero rebajarme
ni pedirle ni rogarle
ni decirle que no puedo mas vivir.
Desde mi triste soledad
vere caer las rosas muertas
de mi juventud.

Gime, bandoneon, tu tango gris
quizas a ti te hiera igual
algun amor sentimental...
Llora mi alma de fantoche
sola y triste en esta noche,
noche negra y sin estrellas.
Si las copas traen consuelo,
aqui estoy con mi desvelo
para ahogarlo de una vez.
Quiero emborrachar al corazon
para despues poder brindar
por los fracasos del amor.

Στίχοι στα αγγλικά:

I want to drown my heart with wine
to extinguish a crazy love
that's more than love...is pain
And that's what I'm here for,
to erase those old kisses
with new ones.
If his love was so short-lived,
why is this cruel preoccupation
always living in me?
I want to drink to both of us
to forget this obsession,
but I remember him even more.
The nostalgia
for his laughter..
for feeling his fire-like breath
next to my lips...
The anguish...
of being abandoned
and of thinking that soon another will
whisper tender words to him...
Brother,
I don't want the humiliation
of begging..crying..
of telling him I can't live without him.
From my sad solitude
I will see the falling of the lifeless roses
of my youth.

Moan, bandoneon, your sad tango
maybe you also are in pain
for a broken love...
Cry my silly, lonely and
sad soul tonight,
dark, starless night.
If drinks bring relief,
here I am with my sorrow
to drown it at once.
I want to drown my heart with wine
to then make a toast
to my defeated love.