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.
Volver is a Tango written by Alfredo Le Pera and composed by Carlos Gardel.
“Volver,” which translates to “Return” in English, resonates as a poignant reflection on the return to one’s origins and past loves, intertwined with a sense of inevitable encounter with one’s own history and memories. The narrative encapsulates the emotional journey of revisiting the scenes of past experiences and relationships, filled with nostalgia and sorrow, yet also a faint whisper of hope. Alfredo Le Pera uses the backdrop of returning physically to a location that holds significant personal history, confronting both treasured and painful memories.
The imagery of “las luces que a lo lejos, van marcando mi retorno,” symbolizing distant lights marking the speaker’s return, brings visual vividness to the sense of moving towards a nostalgia-flooded past that is both inevitable and haunting. The physical signs of aging expressed through “la frente marchita” and “las nieves del tiempo” echo the irreversible passage of time and the impact it has on our perception of life and memories. The lines “que veinte años no es nada, que febril la mirada” poignantly capture the feeling that decades pass in a blink, yet the yearning and searching continue unabated, underscoring the emotional weight of past loves and experiences, that time cannot diminish.
Composed in Argentina in 1935, during a period of great political and social change, “Volver” reflects a broader cultural sentiment of introspection and melancholy prevalent in Argentina at the time. Amid the nation’s grappling with modernity and its implications, this tango addresses individual reflection against the backdrop of broader societal shifts. The complex emotions of returning after a long absence resonate deeply in a country perennially wrestling with its identity and future.
Alfredo Le Pera was an Argentine journalist, dramatist, and lyricist, best known for his collaborations with the legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel, creating some of the most iconic tangos in the genre’s history.