Orquesta Romantica Milonguera: 21st Century Tango

During their eight-year career, Orquesta Romantica Milonguera have tried to unlock the road for tango in the 21st century. To do so, the group have been sensitive to both social changes and the evolution of musical habits to go all-in on two levels: the physical, where the public can experience an Argentine milonga with accentuated shades of preciousness, and the virtual, where the group have developed their own YouTube mythology through videos with a production level tango has never previously experienced.

‘Over time, we have achieved a singular aesthetic,’ the group told Filo.news last year, ‘giving a glimpse of a younger community in the world of tango by being more linked to digitality… detracting from snobbery, academicism and partisan politics, bringing us closer to understanding tango as more of a social event that is not too distant for new generations.’

As for the music, La Romantica are perhaps one of the best young tango orchestras to come out of Argentina, with shows that combine precision and feeling. The sounding heart of the group is the piano of musical director Tomás Regolo, and Nicolás Tognola and Anabel Fasanelli’s bandoneóns – all of them musicians who have developed a personal approach to the genre. The orchestra is completed by three violins, a double bass and the voices of Marisol Martinez and Roberto Minondi.

The group have been prolific since forming, having released four albums and seven EPs, with many of the latter taking on a theme, such as boleros, waltzes or paying tribute to The Beatles or Argentine icons Sandro and Gilda. They are also fresh from a European tour that took in London Tango Week. “Londoners have always received us with great warmth and when we play our Beatles cover in tango, something beautiful happens’’, says Tomás Regolo. Internationally, they are gaining a reputation as one of the most dependable tango ensembles out there.

Not happy with just making tango beautiful, Romantica Milonguera want to go back to the original creators of tango and find that force that turned pretty melodies into shapes that changed the way we see the world. “There are many ways to address the power of tango through time, but one thing that comes to my mind is that in tango you always need the human touch,” Regolo tells me. “It’s a genre that needs to be played by humans even in this digital era. Besides, contrary to most current music, which is so focused on the individual, tango is designed to be danced in pairs and any milonga offers you a more collective experience.”

‘Tango is what connects us with our childhood, with school, with our grandparents’ radio, with the songs that our children hum,’ they told Filo.news. ‘We carry it in our blood and that is why we feel that it is inevitable and necessary [to have a] communion of tango with other genres.’

That communion, with the feeling of a burgeoning romance, whether between the group’s members, the men and women (in whichever gender couplings) dancing together before them, or the fusion of tango with other genres is what makes La Romantica stand out. If there is to be a world without new romance, it’s not a world for us.

This article originally appeared in the August/September 2024 issue of Songlines magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today