The Romano Viazzani Ensemble

'London Tango' Album Launch

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Last Show: Sunday 26 th September 2021

The Pheasantry (Chelsea)

The Romano Viazzani Ensemble launch their album 'London Tango' in a concert which was originally scheduled for March 2020  but had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. They will be playing a selection of the same heady mix of Tangos featured on the album which includes some traditional Argentine Tangos as well as their own original Tango Nuevo-style tangos with a London-inspired twist! Throw in some choice Astor Piazzolla masterpieces to celebrate the tango-master’s centenary year and you have a concert which will be unmissable. 

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“Between hypnotic harmonic harshness and moments of suspense alternating with both evocative and placid moods, London Tango is born”

Stefano Dentice – Strumenti e Musica Magazine

Romano Viazzani was bandleader and arranger of L’Orchestra Rara and The High Society Dance Orchestra and also composed several soundtracks for TV. After many solo concerts in 2001 he composed and performed his composition Valceno - Concerto for Accordion and Orchestra with the BBC Concert Orchestra and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.. He has also played with the Royal Liverpool Symphony Orchestra, and chamber orchestra the 10-10 Ensemble. For five years he played the award-winning Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble at venues such as Leipzig Opera House, Hamburg Opera House, Barbican Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall as well as on TV and Radio broadcasts in the UK most recently with Bryn Terfel on the BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Greece and Romania. He has recorded many albums, written songs and other music and has appeared in many musical theatre shows such as Fiddler on the roof, Songs from a hotel bedroom, Piaf, The accordionist, She Loves Me and has worked in cabaret with Gregory Moore, Steve Ross, Joanna Strand, Jacqui Tate, Frances Ruffelle, Gabrielle Ducomble, Eliza Doolittle. In the Rock and Pop world he has worked with Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), Grace Jones, Silvia Olari and with Palestinian crooner Omar Kamal.

In 2009 he started The Romano Viazzani Ensemble specialising in Argentine tango and featuring vocalist Melody Castellari, pianist Simon Mulligan and bassist Yaron Stavi. After a brief respite an opportunity arose in 2017 to revive the ensemble with Yaron Stavi still on bass but now with Corinna Hentschel (violin), John Bailey (piano) and Jonathan Preiss (guitar). The concert was a great success and subsequent concerts arranged. To the already eclectic mix of fabulous musicians from the worlds of jazz, classical and Latin-American music were added two wonderful vocalists from the West End stage; soprano Joanna Strand and mezzo-soprano Jacqui Tate. In 2019 a debut album was planned featuring not only Argentine tangos but also some of Viazzani’s own compositions and arrangements based on the Argentine Tango Nuevo sound with an added “swinging London” twist. Sadly, in the Winter of 2019 Yaron Stavi and Corinna Hentschel both moved to Germany but some fabulous replacements were found in the form of Barbara Dziewiecka-Data (violin) and Nick Pini (bass) and with the new compositions finished the ensemble recorded in November 2019, for a launch in March 2020. Enter a global setback which nobody had foreseen! Coronavirus led to the launch concert being postponed. So at last, here is the ensemble, veterans of a few lockdown videos in the interim, finally ready to present to you their debut album – London Tango!

Band Line Up

Romano Viazzani (accordion)
Barbara Dziewiecka-Data (violin)
Nick Pini (double bass)
Jonathan Preiss (electric guitar)
John Bailey (piano)
Joanna Strand/Jacqui Tate (singers)