Sexteto Mayor

Sexteto Mayor
Name	Sexteto Mayor
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genre	Tango
Years active	1973–present
Label	Philips, EMI, BMG, Sony Music
Associated acts	Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel, Ástor Piazzolla, Horacio Salgán, Aníbal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Astor Piazzolla Quintet

Sexteto Mayor is an Argentine tango sextet formed in Buenos Aires in 1973 that achieved international prominence through recordings, concerts, and collaborations. The ensemble became notable for bridging traditional tango with contemporary interpretations, participating in festivals, television, and film. Over decades they interacted with leading musicians, orchestras, and cultural institutions across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

History

Sexteto Mayor was created amid the tango revival in Buenos Aires alongside movements involving Astor Piazzolla, Aníbal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Horacio Salgán, and clubs like Confitería Italiana. Early patrons and venues included Teatro Colón, Teatro Avenida, and the Plaza de Mayo cultural circuit. In the 1970s and 1980s the group toured with promoters linked to SADAIC and networks such as Radio Nacional Argentina, appearing on broadcasts with producers from Canal 7 and grants from institutions like Instituto Nacional de Teatro. Tours and recordings brought them into contact with orchestras such as Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires and festivals including Festival Internacional de Tango de Buenos Aires, Montreux Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Festival de Música de Granada and collaborations with ensembles like Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and Teatro Colón Orchestra.

Musical Style and Repertoire

Their repertoire combines compositions by canonical figures like Carlos Gardel, Astor Piazzolla, Aníbal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Horacio Salgán, Atilio Stampone, Eduardo Rovira, Cátulo Castillo, Homero Manzi and arrangements influenced by Francisco Canaro, Roberto Firpo, Francisco Lomuto and Julio De Caro. The sextet performs milongas, valses, tangos, and nuevo tango pieces, arranging works for bandoneón, violin, piano, double bass and guitar following traditions from La Guardia Vieja to modernist currents inspired by Astor Piazzolla Quintet performances. Their interpretations reference scores and manuscripts held in archives such as Archivo General de la Nación and libraries like Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno.

Members and Line-up Changes

Founding and later members include bandoneonists, violinists, pianists and double bass players from Buenos Aires conservatories and neighborhoods such as San Telmo, La Boca, Almagro and Balvanera. Musicians associated with the group performed alongside soloists like Gidon Kremer, Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, and collaborated with singers including Plácido Domingo, Mercedes Sosa, León Gieco, Horacio Ferrer, Edmundo Rivero, Roberto Goyeneche, Amelita Baltar, and Virginia Luque. Guest instrumentalists have come from orchestras such as Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires, Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and chamber ensembles like Kremerata Baltica. The line-up evolved through partnerships with arrangers and conductors from institutions like Conservatorio Superior de Música and festivals organized by Festival de Salzburgo and Carnegie Hall management.

Notable Performances and Tours

Sextet toured in venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Teatro Colón, Teatro Real, Teatro alla Scala, Montreux Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Olympia (Paris), Teatro de la Zarzuela, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Festival de Salzburgo, Festival de Aix-en-Provence, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and cultural events hosted by institutions such as UNESCO, Organization of American States, UN, European Cultural Foundation, and ministries of culture from Argentina, Spain, France, United States, Japan and Germany. Tours included concert series in Madrid, Paris, Rome, London, New York City, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Osaka, Seville, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago (Chile), Lima, and festival circuits linked to presenters like Live Nation and broadcasters such as BBC and NHK.

Discography

Their discography spans recordings on labels such as Philips Records, EMI Records, BMG, Sony Music, and independent presses, featuring studio albums, live recordings, and compilations distributed by companies including Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group. Notable albums include collaborations with artists who performed works by Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel, Aníbal Troilo, and contemporary composers commissioned by cultural organizations like Fundación Konex and SADAIC.

Awards and Recognition

Recognition came through awards from organizations such as Fundación Konex, Premio Gardel, SADAIC, cultural honors from Ministry of Culture (Argentina), citations by UNESCO and festival prizes at Montreux Jazz Festival and Edinburgh Festival. The sextet received critical acclaim in periodicals like The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian, La Nación, Clarín, El País and professional commendations from conservatories and academies including Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Royal Academy of Music.

Influence and Legacy

The ensemble influenced tango interpretation, pedagogy and revival movements, affecting curricula at institutions such as Conservatorio Manuel de Falla, Conservatorio de Música de Buenos Aires, Escuela de Música Popular de Avellaneda, and conservatories in Spain and France. Their legacy persists in fusion projects with artists from genres represented by Gustavo Santaolalla, Charly García, Fito Páez, Béla Fleck, and collaborations crossing boundaries into classical, jazz and world music circles connected to Yo-Yo Ma and Gidon Kremer. Cultural archives, musicologists at Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional de La Plata and research centers like Centro Cultural Kirchner and Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno cite their recordings in studies of 20th-century Argentine music and global tango dissemination.

Category:Tango musical groups