Fabio Hager Performs for the Min-On Tango Series
The Fabio Hager Sextet perform at Nakano Sun Plaza, TokyoThe Min-On Tango Series, which launched in 1970 with a concert by the internationally acclaimed Orquesta José Basso, has been credited with spearheading a tango boom in Japan. The series has featured nationwide Japan tours by leading tango artists, such as the Orquesta Osvaldo Pugliese and the Orquesta Mariano Mores, for over 40 years on an annual basis. More than 2,400 tango performances across Japan have to date attracted a combined audience of more than 3.5 million people.
This year marks the forty-third installment of the acclaimed Min-On Tango Series, and featured the celebrated bandoneon virtuoso Fabio Hager and his sextet. The nationwide 44-concert tour entitled Dramatic Tango—the Flag-Bearer of a New Era stopped at 38 cities across Japan from January through March. The Tokyo premiere at Nakano Sun Plaza Hall on February 9 was attended by a capacity audience of more than 2,000 people, including ambassadors from Armenia, Ghana, Jamaica and tango’s homeland of Argentina, as well as by diplomats and distinguished guests from many other countries.
In addition to Hager on the bandoneon, the sextet comprises two violinists, Marco Press and Pablo Diego Ginzburg, cellist Julian Arellanos, pianist Cesar Garcia, and contrabassist Emillio Longo—six of the finest young musicians in Buenos Aires today, who have all helped to open up a new era for tango artists in Argentina. They were joined on this tour by vocalist Noella Moncada, who made her professional debut in 2005 with the Orquesta El Arranque, when they toured Japan for the Min-On Tango Series.
The music accompanied the spellbinding dancing of three award-winning tango couples, Carla & Gaspar, Julia & Juan Manuel, and Manuela & Cristian. These magnificent performances of the finest Argentinian tango have mesmerized audiences at every venue. The two-month long tour will be concluded in Aomori Prefecture on March 23.
