TANGO HISTORY AND MODERN BUENOUS AIRES
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After driving in an open truck for 63 blocks “de punta a punta” (all the way) through the old, loved and most “tanguera Avenue” of Buenos Aires, the famous calle Corrientes, EL MONUMENTO AL TANGO named “Virulazo” (Virulazo was a one of the first and greatest dancers and teachers of el tango) by their creators, was settled at its last destination: one of the squares in Puerto Madero located at “Avenida de los Italianos” and Azucena Villaflor Streets, right in front of the emblematic Rio de La Plata at the Buenos Aires’s harbor. This is, no doubt about it, the right place to honor and to remember all those immigrants that got to that harbor many years ago and became a very important part of the Tango’s history and beginning. The sentimental and emblematic caravan was escorted block by block for musicians, poets, composers, dancers and all kind of admirers and personalities representatives of the 2 X 4. Three of the most authentic legends of El Tango: Leopoldo Federico, Horacio Ferrer and Ben Molar were leading the crowd. It could not be in any other way… finally and after more than a hundred years of existence making the history of this city, the Music of El Tango would have its very well deserved physical respect and recognition….. Its own monument!
El Tango in the City of Buenos Aires, its place of birth and grow has been represented trough the years in many different forms and in very emblematic places. Barrios and famous streets, City squares and corners shows today all kind of works of arts and testimonials dedicated to remember and to honor its more greatest Maestros and Composers:
One of the most representative “paseos” that pay respect to the great Masters of Tango is, and everyone in he tango’s world knows it, “Caminito” in La Boca neighborhood. Visited by thousands of tourist and tango funs from all over the planet, this place was the inspiration for Juan de Dios Filiberto to create the music of one of his most famous tangos: “Caminito“. The statue of Coria Penaloza, the creator of the tango’ words, close to the statues of Filiberto and Gabino complete this Buenos Aires attraction. Later on don Benito Quinquela Martin, another of “La Boca” most beloved sons painted “Caminito” in its masters pieces… and immortalized this colorful, authentic and representative “Paseo del Tango“ !
Another piece of the tango history is “El Abasto” where Carlos Gardel starts singing when he was a boy, and today “Pasaje Carlos Gardel” a short street, shows a full size bronze statue of “El Zorzal Criollo” smiling like a king and wearing his famous tuxedo. Enrique Santos Discepolo another one of those unforgettable Masters has also been immortalized in a “pasaje” and a “plazoleta” (little square) that connects calle Corrientes with Rio Bamba Street. “Discepolin” like his friends used to call him, has been remembered in “Parque Chacabuco” one of the most representatives barrios of Buenos Aires. The singer Roberto Goyeneche has his own square and statue at “Saavedra” neighborhood, its place of birth…. And the late Master of Mastes don Osvaldo Pugliese, one of the most important chapters in the tango history has also been remembered with a statue at “Villa Crespo” neighborhood, his place of bird also, in calle Corrientes and Drago but…. believe it or not… up to this very important moment of its life Buenos Aires and el Tango did not have a monument dedicated to its MUSIC ! That music that not only is a proved and a sound success all over the world, but also represent the vivid personality and the closest and most authentic definition of “El Porteno” (the men of the harbor) with all of its daily hopes, problems and dreams!
The monument to its music is a very suggestive and abstract work of art, and was built in stainless steel, weighs 2 tons, is 3 and half meters tall and is supposed to resemble the life, soul and spirit of the 2 X 4. Taking the shape of a giant Bandoneon, the main and most representative musical instrument of El Tango, this piece involves in itself and get elevated in a visible projection of rhythm and movement. According to its creator Ms Estela Trevino the piece is an abstract work of art (To abstract for me) that represent the tango’s spirit with its music, its dancers, its singers and all its poetry. Mss Trevino won a contest organized and started by “El Comite Pro-monumento al Tango”. During 6 long years this Committee worked in the project without any City or Government financing and was able to get the money and the necessary founding to erect the “Tango’s Monument of Buenos Aires“. After that more than 300 local artists, poets, musicians, funs and all kind of volunteers worked “for free” in over 15 exhibitions and festivals organized by the committee during that period of time (6 years). With this revenues plus money collected from different private Argentinean companies and organizations, they were able to get together the amount $ 350.000 (Argentinean pesos) to pay for the work of art and them… was donated to the city !
This incredible project started and was initiated by Ruben Reale, a reporter specialist in Tango when in the year 2002 He knowledge that EL TANGO came out to be the first one after a worldwide survey “To establish how and for what Argentina were identified in other parts of the world”. Then, according to this reporter: -“I asked myself: How could be possible than this beautiful Music, that represent us and identified us all over the world, does not have its own Monument in Buenos Aires, its place of bird? After this an “urban Art Contest” with the intervention of 71 different proposals, was organized in order to start this sensational project. The winners came out to be Mi ss Estela Trevino and hers son Alejandro Coria. Alejandro said at that time -“We had to represent in only one piece, the music, the poetry, the dance and the singing of El Tango… but without going to the usual “farolito” or the usual “couple of dancers“, and the final result was an abstract figure that take us to “El Bandoneon” because of the shape and the movement of the steel”-
