Tanguarda has started making a huge impact on the music scene. The quartet has already played extensively throughout Europe where it has established itself as the top formation of its kind. In a short span of time, engagements have brought the group to The Netherlands, England, Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Finland, regularly playing sold-out concerts. Having performed at major venues around Europe, Tanguarda was invited to do a pre-show concert at the legendary Café de los Maestros at the Barbican in London and had the privilege of opening the prestigious musical event, the Gergiev Festival. The group has also received a rave review in El Tangauta, the biggest Tango magazine worldwide.
The trademark of Tanguarda is the line-up of four very versatile and respected musicians who form a true star team. The founder of the quartet, the pianist Maria Martinova (Bulgaria), is a name familiar to both classical and tango music audiences. As a tango musician she has collaborated with some of the most respected names on the tango scene. In Tanguarda Maria is joined by Juanjo Mosalini (Argentina-France), one of the leading musical avant-garde figures in Europe and Argentina and in the world of tango, Cyril Garac (France), a very fine violinist and the most highly regarded tango violinist in Europe today, and Leonardo Teruggi (France), one of the most sought-after young bass players in Europe. The group has had the pleasure of inviting as their guests the violinists Igor Semenoff (Ictus Ensemble), David Nuñez (soloist of the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles), Rafal Payne (Ensemble Modern) and the bass player Matthew Midgley (Principal Bass of the Rotterdam Philharmonic).
The members of the quartet have worked with some of the most celebrated names in classical music, jazz, tango and film music. The list is long: Juan José Mosalini, Alfredo Marcucci, Roberto Alvarez, Pablo Agri, Juan Esteban Cuacci, Gotan Project, Leonardo Sanchez, Sonia Possetti, Gustavo Beytelmann, Tomás Gubitsch, Luis Bakalov, Eric Serra, Toots Thilemans, Julia Migenes, Mino Cinelu, Michael Guttman, Renaud Capuçon and many others.
The group’s repertoire is very wide ranging, from traditional tango to Astor Piazzolla and with a special focus on contemporary tango. The group counts amongst its important projects collaboration with the “doyen” of contemporary tango, the celebrated composer Gustavo Beytelmann. Tanguarda are preparing their first album, to be released later this year.