MARÍA DE BUENOS AIRES
A History of the Operita Tango

María de Buenos Aires premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires in May 1968. It is the world's only tango opera.

The surreal plot centers on a prostitute, Maria, born in the slums “one day when God was drunk … with a curse in her voice.” She is seduced by the rhythms of the tango and soon becomes “the most sorcerous singer and lover” in Buenos Aires. But her “fatal passion” arouses the wrath of the brothel madames who conspire to murder her. After her death, her Shadow returns to haunt the sordid streets she once walked.

The operita, or short opera, is a modern day Passion Play, full of religious allusions and black humour, set to a soundtrack of tangos, milongas and waltzes.

Astor Piazzolla
An Argentine tango composer, arranger and bandoneón player: Piazzolla's oeuvre revolutionised the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music.

Horacio Ferrer
A Uruguayan-born poet, Horacio Ferrer rose to fame as Piazzolla’s lyricist and longtime collaborator. He composed more than 200 songs and authored several books about tango, including El Libro del Tango which turned into a key reference work on the subject.