Palmeri - Misa a Buenos Aires | Mariano Chiacchiarini | WDR Rundfunkchor | WDR Funkhausorchester

Martín Palmeri's tango mass Misa a Buenos Aires, sung by the WDR Radio Choir and performed by the WDR Funkhausorchester under the baton of Mariano Chiacchiarini. Together with Victor Hugo Villena on bandoneon, Martín Palmeri on piano and soprano Agnes Lipka. Recorded live on 21 June 2025 at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. Martín Palmeri - Misa a Buenos Aires 00:00:00 Instrumental 00:06:00 I. Kyrie 00:13:45 II. Gloria 00:19:16 III. Credo 00:35:22 IV. Sanctus 00:38:46 V. Benedictus 00:42:10 VI. Agnus Dei Agnes Lipka, vocals Victor Hugo Villena, bandoneon Martín Palmeri, piano WDR Radio Choir WDR Funkhaus Orchestra Mariano Chiacchiarini, conductor ► For more information about the Radio Choir, concerts and current livestreams, visit https://www.wdr-rundfunkchor.de ► Further concerts and introductions to works from the world of classical music, symphonic crossover, choral singing and concerts for children can also be found in the ARD media library: https://www.ardmediathek.de/klassik Introduction to the work: At first glance, the most sensual of all dances does not seem to fit into a church context. Nevertheless, in 1996, Argentine composer Martín Palmeri dared to combine tango with the Latin mass text. In his tango mass ‘Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango)’, Palmeri combines sacred style with typical stylistic features of Argentine tango. While the choir follows the classical structure of the Catholic liturgy – with Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei – tango elements flow into the ensemble accompaniment: Not only does the instrumentation of the instrumental ensemble follow the model of tango nuevo with piano, string instruments and bandoneon, but the timbre and rhythm are also based on it. In his composition, however, Martín Palmeri allows both elements to remain independent with their respective characteristics in the synthesis of Argentine dance and Latin Mass, so that the choir is entirely devoted to the performance of the Mass text and the instruments contribute the characteristic tango elements. The composer thus assigns the bandoneon an important role in the interpretation of the Mass text: The typical tango instrument, with its strong air sounds, groans and snorts – illustrating the liturgical mass text with a wealth of emotions: pain and sorrow at the crucifixion of Jesus, joy at the resurrection, fear of torment, pleas for peace. Text: Elfi Vomberg