Musique en fête | Guttman Tango Ensemble
22.08.26 > 19:30

To conclude our 24-hour musical marathon for the traditional “Musique en Fête”, we invite you to an enchanting encounter between tango and the Viennese classical tradition with the Michael Guttman Tango Ensemble. Led by violinist Michael Guttman, the ensemble revisits a vast classical repertoire with remarkable virtuosity, shaped by a deeply tango-infused aesthetic. From Mozart to Satie, via Beethoven and the Romantic masters Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Schumann, not forgetting Mahler and Shostakovich, this programme offers a true musical journey from Vienna to Buenos Aires.

It was following his encounter with the legendary Astor Piazzolla that Michael Guttman’s passion for tango fully blossomed. Inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, tango is undoubtedly Argentina’s most emblematic musical expression. Born from a rich cultural blending of European traditions and Afro-American rhythms such as candombe and milonga, it brings together bandoneon, violin, piano, guitar and percussion. Under Piazzolla’s influence, tango underwent a profound transformation in the 20th century, embracing classical and jazz elements to become a universal language.

In continuing this legacy, Guttman has surrounded himself with some of the finest specialists of the genre: bandoneonist Lysandre Donoso, pianist Ivo De Greef, cellist Stijn Kuppens and double bassist Ariel Eberstein. Their programme Classical Music Meets Tango offers an elegant fusion of Argentine tango and European classical tradition. Through subtle arrangements by composer Chloé Pfeiffer, violin, cello, double bass, bandoneon and piano engage in refined reinterpretations of iconic works, exploring Baroque repertoire with a Bach prelude, Classical elegance with Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Romantic expressivity with a Chopin étude, and more modern colours with a Shostakovich waltz and a Satie Gymnopédie.

An evening of tango to bring “Musique en Fête” to a brilliant close — a celebration of passion, virtuosity and shared musical experience.

Photo © Barth Decobecq / Bernard Rosenberg

Programme

Buenos Aires – Vienna, inspired by L. v. Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 

From the Depths of Thought, inspired by E. Satie, Gnossiennes Nos. 1–3, 

Tango for Three Oranges, inspired by S. Prokofiev, The Love for Three Oranges, Suite Op. 33bis

Hermano Gustavo, inspired by G. Mahler, Symphony No. 1 “Titan”

Presagio, inspired by J. S. Bach, Prelude in E-flat minor, BWV 853

La Revolucionaria, inspired by F. Chopin, Étude Op. 10 No. 12

Musiquita Nocturna, inspired by W. A. Mozart, Serenade No. 13, K. 525 “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” (A Little Night Music)

Humo sin Fuego, inspired by J. Brahms, Symphony No. 3

Anápaistos, inspired by R. Schumann, Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44

From Another World, inspired by A. Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22

Mano Sinistra, inspired by F. Mendelssohn, The Hebrides, Op. 26

Shostakovich, Suite for Variety Orchestra No. 1: Waltz No. 2

All arrangements are by Chloé Pfeiffer.