Horacio Salgán: The Orchestral Years (1950–1957)
This Tango Time Travel release restores all known studio recordings made by Horacio Salgán between 1950 and 1957 — a period when his orchestra brought a bold, modern energy to the golden age of tango. With crisp arrangements, lush harmonies, and exquisite timing, Salgán crafted a sound that was both refined and irresistibly danceable — a rare blend that continues to captivate tango DJs and discerning dancers today. There is one bonus track recorded in Uruguay around 1952.
Across these years, Salgán recorded 56 pieces: 47 tangos, eight valses, and one milonga — with an unusually high proportion of instrumental numbers that showcase his mastery of orchestration. Among the instrumental highlights are the innovative Recuerdo and the dramatic Los mareados, and, alongside Salgán’s own creations, Don Agustín Bardi and A fuego lento. Vocal contributions came from Ángel Díaz, Horacio Deval, and the young Roberto Goyeneche. With Díaz, the orchestra premiered Como abrazado a un rencor and Motivo de vals, while Goyeneche’s first recordings include Alma de loca, Yo soy el mismo and Un momento. The period closes with the Antar Telefunken album of 1957, featuring the deeply moving Responso and unforgettable versions by Edmundo Rivero of La última curda and La casita de mis viejos.
atartaglione (verified owner) –
This is a collection that every tango DJ and serious collector should have. The sound quality is extraordinary, with no possible comparison to any previous transfers available from this period of Horacio Salgán’s Orchestra.
Horacio Salgán was a complete musician: a superb pianist and a true vanguardist in his compositions and arrangements. Thanks to the remarkable audio quality achieved in these transfers, it is now possible to fully appreciate the astonishing detail of his arrangements, in which each instrument plays a key individual role while contributing to a perfectly balanced and coherent ensemble sound.
This period is also especially notable for the presence of a young Roberto Goyeneche, one of the brightest and most iconic figures in the history of tango and Argentine culture. Goyeneche’s voice is superb in “Siga el Corso” and “Un momento,” as well as in the remarkable duet with Ángel Díaz in the vals “Un cielo para los dos”—performances of truly unique interpretation and exceptional interplay between the singers and the orchestra. It is also worth mentioning the solo performance of Ángel Díaz in “Vieja recova.” At the same time, the extraordinary singer Edmundo Rivero also shines in this collection in “La última curda.”
Among the instrumental recordings—just to mention a few outstanding examples—the classics “Mala Junta,” “Gallo Ciego,” and “La Clavada,” together with Salgán’s own compositions “A fuego lento” and “Grillito,” reveal not only the originality of Don Horacio’s orchestra, but also its extraordinary power, brilliance, expressiveness, and technical mastery.