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June 26, 2007
Pugliese Colon Concert
In 1985, Osvaldo Pugliese and his orchestra performed in El Teatro Colon - a performance center for classical music and dance, kind of the pinnacle venue for high art in Buenos Aires, comparable to, say, Carnegie Hall or L'Opera Garnier.
Just having tango in this theater was significant. For Pugliese it was an acknowledgement of his lifetime's work.
The video record of this concert is astounding not only for its performances, which are powerful and majestic, but also for the audience response, which reminded me of a rock concert or a soccer match. Screaming and applause are heard throughout each performance. A huge swelling ovation begins about a minute before the end of each number. What Osvaldo Pugliese represented to his audience was more than music - although the legacy of his approx. 75 years of performing and band leading had a huge impact on the lives of thousands through the decades. But it wasn't just the music. Osvaldo Pugliese was well known for the courage of his political convictions. He was often in jail for them. Some of his "side men" made more money than he did because he ran his orchestra as a collective with full-equity profit sharing. Individual musicians who moonlighted (e.g., bandoneonist Osvald Ruggiero) had a higher income than Pugliese himself. His fans knew that about him, and admired him for his simple modesty.
This excerpt features the song "La Yumba" where the "alumni" from all his past orchestras file onto the stage to play together.
Posted by joegrohens at June 26, 2007 03:18 PM
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