EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW for RussianMix Tango Club WITH Matilde Vitullo and Ivan Espeche of ORQUESTA TIPICA IMPERIAL - JULY 17, 2008; MIDSUMMER NIGHT SWING AT LINCOLN CENTER

1) Tango music has a very rich and interesting history; so do its artists and traditions. Can you tell us your story? What is the history of Orchestra Tipica Imperial?

Matilde Vitullo -The Orchestra exists from 1999, so we are almost ten years old. Even though not all of the players are from the original group, we can say that during this time we developed our own style of playing, arranging and composing tango music.

Ivan Espeche  -One thing I'd like to highlight is that we compose new tangos. This is a new trend in Buenos Aires. There are two or three young orchestras - we are probably the oldest - that compose their own tango music. It is beautiful to play the traditional tangos and create more modern arrangements of the classics. However even the original interpretations have the same formation and sound as their ?originals?; and the fact that we write new tangos is a possibility for this music to take the next step, go to a new level. Us being here tonight is a living proof of that. The fact that there are hundreds of New Yorkers dancing tango and listening to a live orchestra is something unique. And we are proud to be here. 

Matilde Vitullo -Orchestra Tipica means a certain formation - with three bandoneons, three violins, a cello, an upright bass, a piano and a singer. Tipico is something from the past, and even though we play modern tangos , we are keeping the roots and the essence; the original sound of tango.

2) Both of you have referred to the importance of new tango and emerging new styles. In the past decade several groups have emerged that play neotango. Some call it a rebirth, others a disaster. Which side are you on?

Ivan Espeche  -Neither and both. I feel that it is just another option. There are many talented musicians and very interesting projects. And there are some that just use a drum machine and a bandaneon; and I think there is a lot more to tango than that. But there are also those that are writing unique music. The great thing about it, it also gave dancers a possibility to experiment with a different form. Everything evolves. We are evolving in a sense that we are writing our own songs in a formation of the past and making it of the future. 

Matilde Vitullo - I think it is called new tango because of the difference in the instruments. Of course you can call new something that is played on the acoustics as well, and it is the melody or the way to string melodies together - that\'s what makes tango, and it does not matter if you do it with electronic or acoustic instruments. We chose acoustic because we think we can do more with it, and it more than a beat.

3) Is it your first time playing in New York? being in New York? How has it been for you so far?

Ivan Espeche  - I've lived here in the past, so I was very eager to come back. In fact, last time I was here in April 2000, I was receiving an award at Avery Fisher Hall for the ACE Best Actor. And to be here tonight at Lincoln Center is just a thrill. New york is New York. It is chaotic, fabulous, wonderful, amazing, imposing; it\'s big, huge, strong... It is all of those things and more. And to be performing here is just so very special for us.

4)  I know you just came back from the Montreal Jazz Festival, which is one of the largest music festivals in the world. You are in New York now. What is the future direction of the Orchestra Tipica? Are you planning to tour the world, or now that you are famous, to remain in Buenos Aires?

Ivan Espeche  - We want to conquer the world. Especially after Montreal. There were about 10,000 people in front of that stage and they were with us. The energy was amazing. Some were dancing. Most just listening. But it is that vibe that we were just talking about - the commitment and passion, the melody, the way the  melodies are strung together in a web that goes straight to your solar plexus. There is a sort of magic to it.

It is funny that you mentioned Montreal Jazz fest. We always speak about it. I have a theory that tango is a brother to jazz. They are both just a little bit over 100 years old, both are a result of a melting pot of many musics from all over the world; they are both from the Americas, and both have spread out to all over the world. The difference is, tango is more associated to a dance form and what is happening now, the dance is spreading to all over the world again, and it is something very necessary in today\'s society, where there are are very few times when dancing couples can be together, close to each other. This is something that is very quickly disappearing in most modern dance forms. And to have it is something very special, which is more than a dance, but a human connection. And the music goes hand in hand with the dance, and I feel that this is just a beginning.

Matilde Vitullo - the music is not as a rigid as the dance from, you do not have to follow a certain structure all the time, so writing music also gives us a certain freedom. When we write, we always think about the dancers, but it is also an opportunity to make tango less conservative.

5) You just released a new album. Tell us a few words about what to expect.

We have three CD out. The fist one is five years old, it came out in 2003; there was another one two years later and Troilean Concentration ('concentracion troileana') that just came out. It is very powerful and it has several of our own songs. We had an amazing response to it all over the world - great reviews everywhere. Much of the tango music today gets its influence from Pugliese. And even though we do not discourage, but also assume it, this particular album is influenced by other great tango musicians and orchestras, the one of Anibal Troilo in particular, who wrote amazing music in the 1930s.

Thanks a lot and best of luck to you.