On November 25, 2024, the Min-On Concert Association organized the “Argentina and Japan United by Tango: 70th Anniversary Concert of the First Tango Orquesta Típica Tour in Japan,” as part of the Min-On’s cultural exchange series promoting bilateral relations.
Held at the Akasaka Civic Center Hall, the event was attended by some 300 concertgoers, led by His Excellency Rubén Eduardo Miguel Tempone, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic to Japan, and representatives of 19 diplomatic missions to Japan. The performance was made possible through the cooperation and support of the Argentine Embassy in Tokyo.
The event began with opening remarks from Ambassador Tempone, noting in his address how his fellow Argentinians and the Japanese shared a love for the tango and an emotive sensitivity to the ephemeral. He expressed joy that Juan Canaro, who led the Orquesta Típica Japan tour in 1954, began to build the bridge of friendship and goodwill between the people of their two countries.
For the first part of the concert, Federación Japonesa de Tango Argentino and Academia Del Tango De Japon President Hisao Iizuka presented a lecture on the first-ever tango tour of Japan, offering insights on Juan Canaro’s impact on Japanese culture while sharing photographs and recordings from that tour.
For the second half, Ryota Komatsu, an internationally recognized player of the accordion-like bandoneon, teamed up with two other bandoneon players Satoshi Kitamura and Takatoki Suzuki, as well as violinist Kumiko Kondo, cellist Takui Matsumoto, pianist Hiroshi Kumata and double bassist Shinji Tanaka. They performed six scores, including “Roses Scatter Beautifully,” the theme song from the animated TV series “The Rose of Versailles,” and “Canaro en Japón” that Juan Canaro played on his tour. For the encore, the Japanese artists played “Buenosaireando,” delighting the audience.
The concert will be available for viewing on Min-On’s official YouTube channel. Min-On wishes to thank its sustaining members for making this and other association initiatives possible.
