Composer: Maria K. Lazaridou
Work type: Original musical composition
Instrumentation: Flute, Piano, Bandoneon, Violin, Cello, Double Bass
Title: Diamantango
Duration: ~4'
Structure: Four-movement tango-inspired composition for six performers.
Diamantango is a four-part tango composed for flute, piano, bandoneon, violin, cello, and contrabass.
The piece is dedicated to my beloved mother and is inspired by her favorite Greek song Write to Me (1937, P. Menestrel-G. Raimondo). The story is about a lover who anxiously awaits a letter from their partner. As the days go by without contact, the rose, a symbol of their love and connection, slowly loses its petals. The wait for the letter becomes increasingly painful, leading to the gradual realization of an inevitable separation. Eventually, the rose wilts away, symbolizing the fading love between the
couple.
The first part of the tango, "Energico," is an introduction to the spirit of the song. It has twenty-seven measures (5+22) and reflects expectation and anticipation. The second part, "Melancolico," is at a slower tempo and has twenty-four measures. It describes the change in the psychological situation of the person waiting. Short counterpoint phrases among instruments represent the imaginary dialogues of the person who waits, and the emotions are characterized by grief. An eight-measure bridge follows, which joins the initial and final tempo through a dynamic acceleration, leading us to the last part, "Con Fuoco," which has twenty-five measures. It represents the moment of realization, of the maximization of loneliness, futility, abandonment, and betrayed love. The emotions are so many and so strong in contrast to the image of the decaying rose. The pain of missing a loved one is unbearable; it culminates in a feverish overflow of notes, dynamics, and speed.
It is the moment of total awareness of oblivion and emptiness.
From a second point of view, each image part describes man's relationship with the world of
the unseen and the supernatural. The work refers to the gradual realization of the permanent absence of the loved one, from whom we are forcibly separated through death. In this case, the person is the
mother.
Maria K. Lazaridou, 2023
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