Tango in Sineu

The history of the bandoneon is somewhat peculiar.

Principally associated with tango music from Argentina, it was in fact developed in Germany; the name comes from a German instrument dealer, Heinrich Band. German (and Italian) immigrants took the bandoneon to Argentina, it having been conceived as an instrument for religious and popular music and so unlike the concertina, which was for folk music. With a different sound to the accordion, the bandoneon became especially popular when composer Ástor Piazzolla started to write arrangements for it in the late 1930s. Piazzolla revolutionised tango, his new version borrowing from classical and jazz music.

Works by Piazzolla will feature in a concert by Dragonera Tango, a four-piece of bandoneon, violin, piano and double bass. The concert will also highlight the milonga, the musical genre which was the precursor to the tango.