Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 7 PM

Alberto Ginastera: Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah 
Various: Tango works with tango orchestra and dancers
Martín Palmeri: Misa a Buenos Aires (“Misatango”) 
with strings, piano, bandoneon, and tango dancers!

Laura Beth Couch, mezzo-soprano
Alex Roitman, bandoneon 

Misa a Buenos Aires, known simply as “Misatango”, pairs traditional Latin Mass texts with irresistible rhythms and exhilarating melodicism of Argentinian “new tango” a la Astor Piazzola.  Written in 1996 by prize-winning composer and conductor Martín Palmeri, the six-movement work for chorus, mezzo-soprano, bandoneón, piano, and string orchestra has enthralled audiences on several continents.  Palmeri’s daring mix of sacred music and tango maintains the harmonic language, rhythms, and melodic designs of tango within the orchestra, freeing the chorus to “just sing the Mass” and plunging the audience into a world of uplifting emotions, passion, and syncopation.  

Opening the concert is Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah, a powerful a cappella choral work composed in 1946 by Alberto Ginastera during his exile in the United States, after being targeted by Argentina’s Perón regime for supporting civil liberties.  Setting Latin texts from the Book of Lamentations, the three-movement piece expresses profound sorrow and spiritual desolation.  With dissonant harmonies, jagged rhythms, and stark contrasts, Ginastera channels both biblical grief and his personal anguish, blending modernist intensity with deep emotional and political resonance.

Adding to the verve of the Latin American program are scintillating dance performances by Boston-based tangueros, curated by bandoneonist Alex Roitman and accompanied by a tango instrumental ensemble. ¡Vamos a bailar!