Atilio Stampone
Encyclopedia
Atilio Stampone is an Argentine pianist, composer and arranger prominent in the Tango genre.
, and Antonio Stampone, a pasta
maker from Napoli, in the middle-class San Cristóbal
section of Buenos Aires
. His older brother, Giuseppe, was by then, at age 14, a bandoneón
ist in an orquesta típica
, and when the young Atilio underwent surgery for an acute appendicitis
at age 10, Giuseppe bought his convalescing younger brother a piano
. Shortly afterwards, Atilio Stampone joined his elder brother's tango ensemble.
Stampone joined bandleader Roberto Dimas in his Café Marzotto orchestra, a popular Corrientes Avenue
act, in 1941, and Pedro Maffia
's Tibidabo cabaret
orchestra in 1942; impressed with his ability, Maffia personally sought permission for the young pianist's appearance in the risqué setting from his father, who agreed on condition that "you, Pedrito, personally see him to the tram
for home as soon the show is over. Atilio is a good kid, and I don't want him living in a cabaret;" with that agreement, he divided his time between the orchestra and his studies at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
, a prestigious public college preparatory school. He later worked with Roberto Rufino and Alberto Cámara, and in 1945, met bandoneónist and avant-garde composer Ástor Piazzolla
.
He joined Piazzolla in 1946, and following the group's dissolution in 1948, Stampone became a pupil of Vincenzo Scaramuzza
, who helped perfect his technical skill as a pianist. Bandleader Mariano Mores
hired Stampone as a soloist in two, 1949 musical comedy productions, El otro yo de Marcela and Bésame Petronita, and following these shows, he joined bandleader Juan Carlos Cobián.
Stampone earned a presidential scholarship from Juan Perón
in 1950, by which he studied under maestro Carlos Zecchi at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia, in Rome
. Touring France
, Italy
, and the Middle East
, Stampone returned to Buenos Aires in 1952 and formed an orchestra with bandoneónist Leopoldo Federico. The Stampone-Federico Orchestra recorded for the TK
label, notably on compositions such as Criolla linda ("Pretty Country Girl") and Tierrita ("Small Land"). Federico's contract with ratings leader Radio Belgrano in 1955 left Stampone with sole control of the orchestra, which popularized El Marne (Eduardo Arolas
), Nueve puntos (Francisco Canaro
), Confesión (Enrique Santos Discépolo
and Luis César Amadori
), Stampone's own Afiches ("Posters," lyrics by Homero Expósito
), and numerous other standards; Afiches helped popularize one of the premier tango vocalists, Roberto Goyeneche
.
He continued to collaborate with other groups, including Piazzolla's Octeto Buenos Aires. Their 1955 album, Tango progresivo, became notorious for its poor sound editing
, however, and was pulled from store shelves (making copies of the record a collectible, later on). Stampone recorded Tango Argentino for New York
label Audio Fidelity Records
in 1958, an album known for El once
(Osvaldo Fresedo
), La rayuela ("Hopscoth," Julio de Caro
), Cabulero ("Gambler," by Leopoldo Federico), and Sensiblero (Julián Plaza). He married the former Lucía Marcó in 1958, and they had two children.
Stampone joined the Microfón label in 1959, where he recorded a double record, with two instrumentals and two with Ricardo Ruiz on vocals. He continued to work with this record company in subsequent decades, and recorded over ten albums for Microfón with his tango revivalist orchestra, some of whose notable members have been: Eduardo Walczak and Tito Besprovan (violin
s), Abraham Selenson (viola
), Enrique Lanoo and José Bragato
(cello
), Osvaldo Montes (bandoneón
), Rubén Ruiz (guitar
), Omar Murtagh (double bass
), and Eladia Blázquez
and Virginia Luque
(vocals).
Stampone also became known for his performances at the Palais de Glace
(Buenos Aires), and for a number of film score compositions, including those for period piece
director Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
's Un Guapo del 900
(A Cad out of 1900, 1960), and La mano en la trampa (The Hand in the Trap
, 1961).
He joined two partners, football
striker Rinaldo Martino
and actor Pedro Aleandro, in establishing "Caño 14," in 1964. The downtown Buenos Aires tango hall became among the best-known venues of its type, and helped manitain the genre's following during its pre-revival era in the 1960s and '70s, attracting the most important names in local tango at the time, including Troilo, pianist Horacio Salgán
, bandoneónist Ubaldo de Lío, dancer
Juan Carlos Copes
, and many others; one featured performer, Enrique Mario Francini, died on its stage clutching his violin.
His 1970 album, Concepto, marked a radical change in Stampone's revivalist style, incorporating a choir
and instilling the music with a more symphonic sound; among its notable pieces are Responso (Aníbal Troilo
) and Orgullo criollo ("Criollo
Pride," by Julio de Caro
and Pedro Laurenz
). Some of his own compositions popularized by the orchestra were Con pan y cebolla ("Bread and Onions"), De Homero a Homero ("From Homer
to Homer
"), Desencanto ("Heartbreak"), Aguatero ("Water Vendor"), Cadícamo
, Ciudadano ("Citizen"), Concertango, El Niño, El Tapir
, Fiesta de mi ciudad ("Celebrating My City"), Fiesta y milonga
, Impar ("Odd Number"), Mi amigo Cholo, Mocosa ("Spoiled Girl"), Taconeando ("Stomping"), Pequeña ("Girl"), and Vida mía ("My Life"), among others.
Stampone composed the score for the Oscar Araiz's ballet
Tango in 1981, and in 1984, composed incidental music for director Luis Puenzo
's The Official Story
(winner of the 1986 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar). His 1987 production, Tango en concierto, debuted at Madrid
's Teatro Real
, and was a success in both Spain
and Argentina
. Other compositions from that era include the score for Marcos Zurinaga
's Tango Bar (1987, starring Raúl Juliá
) and Discepolín (1989, a theatre production honoring Tango composer Enrique Santos Discépolo
). His renown, as well as his activism on behalf of intellectual property rights, earned the election by his peers as President of SADAIC, the Argentine Society of Composers, in 1985.
Caño 14, the storied tango hall, closed in 1987. It reopened ten years later, however, relocating to 2134 Vicente López Street (in the Recoleta
section of Buenos Aires). Stampone retired as President of SADAIC, succeeded by Ariel Ramírez
, in 1993; but remained in its board of directors. He presided over Konex Award
juries in 1985 and 2005, and in 2000, was named Music Director of the Juan de Dios Filiberto National Orchestra of Argentine Music
. He was later named director of the City Orchestra of Buenos Aires, while continuing his duties at the Filiberto Orchestra, and was featured in his role as conductor in Miguel Kohan and Gustavo Santaolalla
's 2008 ode to aging Tango greats, Café de los maestros.
Life and work
He was born to Romana Zangone, from CalabriaCalabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, and Antonio Stampone, a pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
maker from Napoli, in the middle-class San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal, Buenos Aires
San Cristóbal is a barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.The Line E goes under the San Juan Avenue.- External links :*...
section of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. His older brother, Giuseppe, was by then, at age 14, a bandoneón
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
ist in an orquesta típica
Orquesta típica
Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin-American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size in some well-defined instrumental set-up.- Argentina :In Argentina, a típica is a tango orchestra...
, and when the young Atilio underwent surgery for an acute appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
at age 10, Giuseppe bought his convalescing younger brother a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. Shortly afterwards, Atilio Stampone joined his elder brother's tango ensemble.
Stampone joined bandleader Roberto Dimas in his Café Marzotto orchestra, a popular Corrientes Avenue
Corrientes Avenue
Avenida Corrientes is one of the principal thoroughfares of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The street is intimately tied to the tango and the porteño sense of identity...
act, in 1941, and Pedro Maffia
Pedro Maffia
Pedro Mario Maffia was an Argentine tango Bandoneonist, bandleader, composer and teacher, as well as starring in several tango films....
's Tibidabo cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
orchestra in 1942; impressed with his ability, Maffia personally sought permission for the young pianist's appearance in the risqué setting from his father, who agreed on condition that "you, Pedrito, personally see him to the tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
for home as soon the show is over. Atilio is a good kid, and I don't want him living in a cabaret;" with that agreement, he divided his time between the orchestra and his studies at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the tradition of the European gymnasium it provides a free education that includes classical languages such as Latin and Greek. The school is one of the most prestigious in Argentina...
, a prestigious public college preparatory school. He later worked with Roberto Rufino and Alberto Cámara, and in 1945, met bandoneónist and avant-garde composer Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
.
He joined Piazzolla in 1946, and following the group's dissolution in 1948, Stampone became a pupil of Vincenzo Scaramuzza
Vincenzo Scaramuzza
Vincenzo Scaramuzza -in spanish: Vicente Scaramuzza- was an Italian Argentine pianist and music teacher.Scaramuzza was born in Crotone, Italy, on June 19, 1885. Introduced to the piano by his father, Francesco, he was a concert performer by age seven, and enrolled in the prestigious San Pietro a...
, who helped perfect his technical skill as a pianist. Bandleader Mariano Mores
Mariano Mores
Mariano Martínez, better known as Mariano Mores , is a famous Argentine tango composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:...
hired Stampone as a soloist in two, 1949 musical comedy productions, El otro yo de Marcela and Bésame Petronita, and following these shows, he joined bandleader Juan Carlos Cobián.
Stampone earned a presidential scholarship from Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
in 1950, by which he studied under maestro Carlos Zecchi at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Touring France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Stampone returned to Buenos Aires in 1952 and formed an orchestra with bandoneónist Leopoldo Federico. The Stampone-Federico Orchestra recorded for the TK
TK Records
TK Records was an American record label started by record distributor, Henry Stone in Miami, Florida, one of several labels that he founded in the 1960s and 1970s...
label, notably on compositions such as Criolla linda ("Pretty Country Girl") and Tierrita ("Small Land"). Federico's contract with ratings leader Radio Belgrano in 1955 left Stampone with sole control of the orchestra, which popularized El Marne (Eduardo Arolas
Eduardo Arolas
Eduardo Arolas was an Argentine tango Bandoneon player, leader and composer.Arolas first learned to play the guitar before learning the bandoneon which became his instrument of choice. His nickname was El Tigre del bandoneón .Arolas composed his first tango in 1909 before he could even read or...
), Nueve puntos (Francisco Canaro
Francisco Canaro
Francisco Canaro was an Uruguayan-Argentine violinist and tango orchestra leader.His parents, Italians emigrated to Uruguay, and later - when Francisco Canaro was less than 10 years old, they emigrated to Buenos Aires in the late nineteenth century. Canaro was born in San José de Mayo, Uruguay,...
), Confesión (Enrique Santos Discépolo
Enrique Santos Discépolo
Enrique Santos Discépolo was an Argentine tango and milonga musician and composer, author of famous tangos such as Cambalache and many others performed by several of the most important singers of his time, amongst them notably Carlos Gardel.Discépolo was born in Buenos Aires...
and Luis César Amadori
Luis César Amadori
Luis César Amadori was an Italian - Argentine film director and screenwriter and one of the most influential directors in the Cinema of Argentina of the classic era...
), Stampone's own Afiches ("Posters," lyrics by Homero Expósito
Homero Expósito
Homero Aldo Expósito was an Argentine poet and tango songwriter. He was author, among other things, of the famous tangos like Percal, Naranjo en flor, Margó, Flor de lino, Qué me van a hablar de amor, Ese muchacho Troilo, and Te llaman Malevo...
), and numerous other standards; Afiches helped popularize one of the premier tango vocalists, Roberto Goyeneche
Roberto Goyeneche
Roberto Goyeneche was an Argentine tango singer of Basque descent, who epitomized the archetype of 1950s Buenos Aires' bohemian life, and became a living legend in the local music scene.He was known as El Polaco due to his blond hair, and thinness, like the Polish immigrants of the time...
.
He continued to collaborate with other groups, including Piazzolla's Octeto Buenos Aires. Their 1955 album, Tango progresivo, became notorious for its poor sound editing
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, however, and was pulled from store shelves (making copies of the record a collectible, later on). Stampone recorded Tango Argentino for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
label Audio Fidelity Records
Audio Fidelity Records
Audio Fidelity Records, was a record company out of New York City, most active during the 1950s and 1960s. They are best known for having produced the first mass-produced American stereophonic long-playing record in November 1957 .-Background:Sidney Frey , founder and president of...
in 1958, an album known for El once
Estación Once
Once railway station is a large railway terminus in central Buenos Aires, Argentina.The station, inaugurated on December 20, 1882, is located in the barrio of Balvanera immediately north of Plaza Miserere, a large public square...
(Osvaldo Fresedo
Osvaldo Fresedo
Osvaldo Fresedo , nicknamed El pibe de La Paternal was an Argentine songwriter and director of a tango orchestra. He had the longest recording career in tango, from 1925 to 1980.- Career :...
), La rayuela ("Hopscoth," Julio de Caro
Julio de Caro
Julio de Caro was an Argentine composer, musician and conductor prominent in the Tango genre.-Life and work:...
), Cabulero ("Gambler," by Leopoldo Federico), and Sensiblero (Julián Plaza). He married the former Lucía Marcó in 1958, and they had two children.
Stampone joined the Microfón label in 1959, where he recorded a double record, with two instrumentals and two with Ricardo Ruiz on vocals. He continued to work with this record company in subsequent decades, and recorded over ten albums for Microfón with his tango revivalist orchestra, some of whose notable members have been: Eduardo Walczak and Tito Besprovan (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s), Abraham Selenson (viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
), Enrique Lanoo and José Bragato
José Bragato
José Bragato is a renowned Argentine cellist, composer, conductor, arranger and musical archivist who, in his early career, was principal cellist in the Colón Theatre orchestra in Buenos Aires, Argentina...
(cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
), Osvaldo Montes (bandoneón
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
), Rubén Ruiz (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Omar Murtagh (double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
), and Eladia Blázquez
Eladia Blázquez
Eladia Blázquez was an Argentine tango singer and composer. El corazón al sur is considered her most popular tango.-External links:**...
and Virginia Luque
Virginia Luque
Virginia Luque born Violeta Mabel Dominguez is a retired Argentine tango singer and film actress. She made nearly 20 appearances in tango films of Argentina between 1943 and 1976....
(vocals).
Stampone also became known for his performances at the Palais de Glace
Palais de Glace
The Palace de Glace is a French-style Belle Époque building in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, located at 1725 Posadas street...
(Buenos Aires), and for a number of film score compositions, including those for period piece
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
director Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
Leopoldo Torre Nilsson , also known as Leo Towers and as Babsy, was an Argentine film director, producer and screenwriter....
's Un Guapo del 900
Un Guapo del 900
Un Guapo del 900 is a 1952 Argentine film....
(A Cad out of 1900, 1960), and La mano en la trampa (The Hand in the Trap
The Hand in the Trap
The Hand in the Trap is a 1961 Argentine film directed by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, based on a novel by Beatriz Guido. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize...
, 1961).
He joined two partners, football
Football in Argentina
Football in Argentina is the most popular sport, the one with the most players and is the most popular recreational sport, played from childhood into old age...
striker Rinaldo Martino
Rinaldo Martino
Rinaldo Fioramonte Martino was an Italian Argentine football striker who played for both the Argentine and the Italian national football teams.-Club career:...
and actor Pedro Aleandro, in establishing "Caño 14," in 1964. The downtown Buenos Aires tango hall became among the best-known venues of its type, and helped manitain the genre's following during its pre-revival era in the 1960s and '70s, attracting the most important names in local tango at the time, including Troilo, pianist Horacio Salgán
Horacio Salgán
Horacio Adolfo Salgán is an Afro-Argentine pianist, composer, orchestra leader, and arranger who specializes in tango music....
, bandoneónist Ubaldo de Lío, dancer
Tango (dance)
Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
Juan Carlos Copes
Juan Carlos Copes
Juan Carlos Copes is an Argentine tango dancer, choreographer, and performer. He contributed to worldwide revival of tango as a dance form after 1970....
, and many others; one featured performer, Enrique Mario Francini, died on its stage clutching his violin.
His 1970 album, Concepto, marked a radical change in Stampone's revivalist style, incorporating a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
and instilling the music with a more symphonic sound; among its notable pieces are Responso (Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician.Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango , but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s...
) and Orgullo criollo ("Criollo
Criollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
Pride," by Julio de Caro
Julio de Caro
Julio de Caro was an Argentine composer, musician and conductor prominent in the Tango genre.-Life and work:...
and Pedro Laurenz
Pedro Laurenz
Pedro Laurenz was a bandoneon player, director and composer of Argentine tango music.He was born on October 10, 1902, and died on July 7, 1972....
). Some of his own compositions popularized by the orchestra were Con pan y cebolla ("Bread and Onions"), De Homero a Homero ("From Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
to Homer
Homero Expósito
Homero Aldo Expósito was an Argentine poet and tango songwriter. He was author, among other things, of the famous tangos like Percal, Naranjo en flor, Margó, Flor de lino, Qué me van a hablar de amor, Ese muchacho Troilo, and Te llaman Malevo...
"), Desencanto ("Heartbreak"), Aguatero ("Water Vendor"), Cadícamo
Enrique Cadícamo
Enrique Domingo Cadícamo was a prolific Argentine tango lyricist, poet and novelist. From an initial Symbolist bent, he developed a distinctive, lunfardo-rich style from an early age, and by 1925 he had his first piece, Pompas de jabón, sung by Carlos Gardel...
, Ciudadano ("Citizen"), Concertango, El Niño, El Tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
, Fiesta de mi ciudad ("Celebrating My City"), Fiesta y milonga
Milonga
Milonga can refer to an Argentine, Uruguayan, and Southern Brazilian form of music which preceded the tango and the dance form which accompanies it, or to the term for places or events where the tango or Milonga are danced...
, Impar ("Odd Number"), Mi amigo Cholo, Mocosa ("Spoiled Girl"), Taconeando ("Stomping"), Pequeña ("Girl"), and Vida mía ("My Life"), among others.
Stampone composed the score for the Oscar Araiz's ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
Tango in 1981, and in 1984, composed incidental music for director Luis Puenzo
Luis Puenzo
Luis Adalberto Puenzo is an Argentine film director, producer and screenplay writer.He works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but has also worked in the United States.-Biography:...
's The Official Story
The Official Story
The Official Story is a 1985 Argentine drama film directed by Luis Puenzo, and written by Puenzo and Aída Bortnik. It stars Norma Aleandro, Héctor Alterio, and Chunchuna Villafañe, among others. In the United Kingdom, it was released as The Official Version.The film is about an upper middle class...
(winner of the 1986 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar). His 1987 production, Tango en concierto, debuted at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
's Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
, and was a success in both Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Other compositions from that era include the score for Marcos Zurinaga
Marcos Zurinaga
Marcos Zurinaga is a cinematographer born and raised in Puerto Rico. Among the several movies that he has directed is "La Gran Fiesta", a movie about the last grand party at the old "Casino de Puerto Rico" building in Old San Juan before it was turned over to military use as the United States was...
's Tango Bar (1987, starring Raúl Juliá
Raúl Juliá
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...
) and Discepolín (1989, a theatre production honoring Tango composer Enrique Santos Discépolo
Enrique Santos Discépolo
Enrique Santos Discépolo was an Argentine tango and milonga musician and composer, author of famous tangos such as Cambalache and many others performed by several of the most important singers of his time, amongst them notably Carlos Gardel.Discépolo was born in Buenos Aires...
). His renown, as well as his activism on behalf of intellectual property rights, earned the election by his peers as President of SADAIC, the Argentine Society of Composers, in 1985.
Caño 14, the storied tango hall, closed in 1987. It reopened ten years later, however, relocating to 2134 Vicente López Street (in the Recoleta
Recoleta
Recoleta is a downtown residential neighborhood in the city of Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina; it is an area of great historical and architectural interest, due, particularly to the Recoleta Cemetery located there...
section of Buenos Aires). Stampone retired as President of SADAIC, succeeded by Ariel Ramírez
Ariel Ramirez
Ariel Ramírez was an Argentine composer, pianist and music director. He was considered "a chief exponent of Argentine folk music" and noted for his "iconic" musical compositions....
, in 1993; but remained in its board of directors. He presided over Konex Award
Konex Award
Konex Foundation awards, or simple Konex awards are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation to Argentine cultural personalities.Created in 1980, where conceived as a way to reward the Argentine personalities and institutions of different fields, as well as to stimulate the beginners.Even though...
juries in 1985 and 2005, and in 2000, was named Music Director of the Juan de Dios Filiberto National Orchestra of Argentine Music
Juan de Dios Filiberto National Orchestra of Argentine Music
The Juan de Dios Filiberto National Orchestra of Argentine Music is the national Pops orchestra of Argentina.-Overview:...
. He was later named director of the City Orchestra of Buenos Aires, while continuing his duties at the Filiberto Orchestra, and was featured in his role as conductor in Miguel Kohan and Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Babel in 2006.-Life and career:...
's 2008 ode to aging Tango greats, Café de los maestros.