In the hands of French composer Chloë Pfeiffer, works of classical majesty are reimagined in tango. Tango’s distinctive rhythmic and harmonic language transforms Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Satie’s Gnossiennes, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, and many other works by composers from Chopin to Shostakovich.

The Guttman Tango Quintet (photo by Barth Decobecq)

Performed by the Guttman Tango Quintet (Michael Guttman, violin and artistic direction; Lysandre Donoso, bandoneon; Ivo De Greef, piano; Stijn Kuppens, cello; Ariel Eberstein, double bass), the works make you imagine the possibilities of the Old World mixing with the New World.

In a work such as Musiquita Nocturna, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, sounds normal to start with, but by the first cadence, we’re clearly elsewhere. The dancers take to the floor, and the melody goes to the bandoneon, and we’re in full tango with Mozart.

Track 7: Musiquita Nocturna (Guttman Tango Quintet)

It’s a wonderful reimagining of music that is at once familiar and yet transformed. Not intended to be ‘parody or pastiche’, each track asks a question: ‘What if Schumann had written a milonga? What if Mahler had known the bandoneon? What if Beethoven had heard the tango’s pulse’?

Track 1: Buenos Aires—Viena (Guttman Tango Quintet)

After listening to Pfeiffer’s take on Beethoven, starting with that familiar opening gesture but quickly moving into the tango genre, we can start to see the possibilities of this mixing across continents and time periods.

Join the fun of a bit of tango with Viennese stylings.

From Another World (Avanti Classic)

From Another World
Performed by Guttman Tango Quintet: Michael Guttman, violin and artistic direction; Lysandre Donoso, bandoneon, Ivo De Greef, piano; Stijn Kuppens, cello; Ariel Eberstein, double bass
Released by Avanti Classic
Release date: 31 July 2026

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