Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
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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.
Esquinas porteñas is a Tango written by Homero Manzi and composed by Sebastián Piana.
“Esquinas porteñas” translates to “Corners of Buenos Aires” in English, hinting at a deeply nostalgic reflection on specific places within the Argentine capital. Homero Manzi paints a lucid yet heartrending portrait of a city that both shelters and witnesses love, loss, and melancholy. Addressing the corner of a neighborhood as a silent onlooker to both mundane moments and life-altering events, Manzi taps into a shared urban solitude and the intimacy of urban spaces. His portrayal not only humanizes these corners but imbues them with a sense of loss and longing.
The corners, symbolized as shelters and spectators, are depicted as soaked in the melancholic hues of the moon and sun—entities known for their cyclical nature and constants in the realm of change and impermanence. The phrases like “te pintan los muros la luna y el sol” (the walls are painted by the moon and sun) and “te lloran las lluvias de invierno” (the winter rains cry for you) illustrate a vivid emotional landscape. These elements symbolize time’s passage and the emotional spectrum associated with memory and nostalgia. Moreover, the ‘winter rains’ evoke a season often associated with introspection and sorrow, enhancing the overall tone of melancholy.
Recorded in early 1953, “Esquinas porteñas” came at a time when Argentina was experiencing significant political and social upheaval. This context may have shaped Manzi’s lyrical focus on themes of loss and the inevitability of change. Streets and corners, as metaphors for life’s transient nature and crossroads, juxtapose the personal with the collective. The inherent melancholy in Manzi’s words could partly mirror the post-war introspection and the sense of communal nostalgia for simpler times, reflecting in the way he personifies the streets and corners of Buenos Aires as storing the memories of joys and sorrows passed.
Homero Manzi was an influential Argentine tango lyricist, best known for his poignant and evocative portrayal of everyday city life. His work captures the soul of Buenos Aires, often blending deep melancholy with vivid depictions of local landscapes and sentiments.