Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
Style
Orchestra
Singer
Author
Composer
Date
These Tangos, Valses, and Milongas were recorded around the same time. Take a look to discover what else this orchestra—or others—may have recorded during the same week or even on the exact same day.
Catamarca is a Tango written by Jesús Fernández Blanco and composed by Eduardo Arolas.
The tango “Catamarca” is a poignant reflection on the themes of nostalgia, longing, and the introspective journey of returning to one’s roots. The narrator expresses a deep yearning to return to Catamarca, the place of his birth, which he left behind. This place holds not just memories of a geographical location but also emotional echoes of his first love and youthful innocence. The central narrative revolves around his realization, after having achieved worldly success, that true happiness and fulfillment may actually reside in the simpler, joyous moments of his past life in Catamarca – entangled with love, nature, and unspoiled dreams.
The symbolism in “Catamarca” revolves heavily around the idea of origin as a source of identity and emotional grounding. Catamarca, literally translated as ‘Qatamarca’ in Quechua, meaning ‘fortress on the slope,’ symbolizes a safe haven and a bastion of the narrator’s happiest and most authentic memories. Phrases like “lejana Catamarca,” “vallecito lindo,” and “la nativa fronda” evoke a sense of a paradise lost that the narrator longs to regain. The recurrent imagery of nature and the depiction of his beloved under the “ojos de sol” (eyes of the sun) provide a contrast to what might be a less fulfilling life he leads away from home. These symbols powerfully advocate a return to one’s roots and original bliss as a path to fulfillment.
In the 1940s, Argentina was marked by significant social and political changes, with movements from rural areas to urban centers in search of better opportunities. This migration often resulted in a sense of loss and displacement, a theme that Blanco captures effectively in “Catamarca.” The tango was composed in a period where nostalgia for simpler, rural life became more pronounced against the backdrop of urbanization and modernization. The text likely resonated deeply with listeners who shared the narrator’s feelings of alienation and nostalgia.
Jesús Fernández Blanco was a notable Argentine poet and tango lyricist, whose works often explored themes of nostalgia, love, and the quintessential Argentine identity.