Carel Kraayenhof y su Sexteto Canyengue

Biography (English)

QUOTATION INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINES:

Tango Reporter Los Angeles (USA) Julio 2001: Tango Máxima;'....uno de los buenos y más notables CD de tango grabado por musicos europeos.'
Sadaic (Argentina): '..el Sexteto Canyengue es un grupo de tango Instrumental, unico en el genero en toda Europa.
The Herald (UK): '...Sexteto Canyengue hail from Amsterdam and are purveyors of thrilling real tango...'
Anchorage Daily News (USA): '...it was tango in audio form, rich in emotions, sensuality and fierce energy....'


SEXTETO CANYENGUE

In the autumn of 1988, bandoneon player Carel Kraayenhof, driven by his love for the works of Osvaldo Pugliese and Astor Piazzolla, the great maestros of Argentine tango, co-founded the very first tango sextet in the Netherlands. In his new ensemble, they could draw from earlier experiences in the tango domain. Carel Kraayenhof was co-founder of the Tango Cuatro and Viento del Sur ensembles, and, in 1987, performed as bandoneon soloist in the Broadway musical 'Tango Apasionado' in New York at the special invitation of Astor Piazzolla. In 1990 Sexteto Canyengue toured Buenos Aires and Montevideo with the orchestra of Pugliese by special invitation from the Maestro himself. Carel took on the challenge of providing the new ensemble with a repertoire consisting mainly of original arrangements. In addition, Carel composed various tangos for the sextet, described by critics as 'the missing link between Piazzolla and Pugliese'. His 'Clavel rojo', dedicated to Don Osvaldo Pugliese, has become a popular piece in the tango repertoire.

The ensemble's musical interpretations are romantic, melancholic, lively and sometimes rough, but always passionate. They emphasise the fact that the tango is indeed world music, and show clear influences from pop, jazz, salsa, classical and contemporary music. The bandoneons, the heart and voice of the tango, lead the other instruments in the sextet with the pulsating force of the canyengue: the fierce rhythm characteristic of this musical style. Canyengue is for the tango what swing is for jazz.

Ten years later, the tango has taken the sextet to many corners of the world.
Sexteto Canyengue has performed in numerous European countries, as well as in Malaysia, Argentina, Uruguay and Canada (at the Festival International du Jazz du Montréal). The ensemble's performances at the 1997 and 1998 Edinburgh Fringe and International Festival were a great success and attracted the attention of the world media.
In the same year, they performed with the master cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the Dutch television programme Reiziger in muziek, and played to sold-out houses as part of the tango show 'The Art of Tango'. Also the famous violist Guideon Kremer was inspired by Sexteto Canyengue for his tango-cd and even used Kraayenhofs arrangement 'Celos' from Piazzolla to record it by himself. Their performances with the famous dancer Pablo Vernon and the dancer/filmmaker Sally Potter (famous for her films Orlando and The Tango Lessons) were particularly impressive. In 1998, in addition to their regular theatre concerts both with and without the Argentine dance pair, Sexteto Canyengue accompanied the National Ballet, playing the music of Astor Piazzolla for the five tangos by Hans van Manen included in the programme.

Canyengue toured with a lot of success in 19981999, 2000, 2001 with the tango show Milonga Boulevard and Tangueros (Argentinean, Italian and Dutch production) through America, Alaska and Italy.
Most members of Sexteto Canyengue teach at the Argentine Tango department of the Rotterdam Conservatory, which is run by its founders Leo Vervelde and Carel Kraayenhof. This department was officially opened in 1993 in the presence of its honorary artistic director Osvaldo Pugliese. Since the death of maestro Pugliese, Gustavo Beytelmann has continued his work.

Sexteto Canyengue was awarded the 1993 Gouden Notenkraker by the Dutch musician's union (NTB), for its excellence and continuous efforts to bring tango music back to the stage.

Members:

Main strength of Sexteto Canyengue:
Artistic leader/ bandoneón: Carel Kraayenhof
Bandoneón: Rocco Boness
Piano: Sebastiaan van Delft
Double bass: Jaap Branderhorst
1st violin: Emma Breedveld
2nd Violin and viola: Bert Vos

Strength with STREET TANGO theatre concert:
Artistic leader/ bandoneón: Carel Kraayenhof
Guitar: Andreas Suntrop
Piano: Sebastiaan van Delft
Double bass: Jaap Branderhorst
1st violin: Emma Breedveld
2nd Violin and viola: Bert Vos

Percussion: Arie den Boer

Sound engineer: Cro Lampe

Light engineer: Tom Brooijmans

Discography:

CD '....por el tango' (1992, Increase/EMI Lucho 7701-2)
CD 'Tiburonero' (1993, Increase/EMI Lucho 7711-2)
CD 'Piazzolla bien canyengue' (1995, Increase/EMI Lucho 7720-2)
CD 'Tangueros de Holanda' (1997, Sexteto Canyengue 1997-1)
CD 'Cinco Tangos de Astor Piazzolla' (1998, Sexteto Canyengue 1998-2)
CD 'Tango Máxima' (2000, Sexteto Canyengue 2000-3)

All 6 CD's are distributed world white by BERTUS DISTRIBUTION in Capelle a/d IJssel in the Netherlands (#31.(0)10.2641591), and the last 3 CD's are available at our web site.

Documentaries /films:
1995: 'Embraced by the Tango' (1990) Kraayenhof will be followed on his trip to Argentina and his visit to maestro Osvaldo Pugliese. Direction: Leendert Pot
1998: 'Bandoneon' (1997), de director follows the history of the more than 150 year journey of the bandoneon through Germany, Argentina, France & The Netherlands. Kraayenhof wrote the arrangements for the bandoneón solo en act as a interpreter and guide of the instrument. Direction: Rolf Lambert

News and Agenda, click here

Discography and On Line Shop, click here

Downloads, click here