Astrorico Home Page (English edition)

Tango ensemble Astrorico's official web site


This title was writen by Tetsuya CHIKUSHI. All photos in this site were taken by Tsuyoshi HIRAI.
administration:duende@musicinfo.co.jp

to contact ASTRORICO, please send an e-mail or a fax to Office Soluna.
e-mail to: astrorico@ma3.justnet.ne.jp / fax to: +81-75-211-9204

Let`s find out who is ASTRORICO ?

Cuarteto Astrorico

ASTRORICO is the essence of the 3 great musicians of the Argentine Tango. AS: from Astor Piazzolla, TRO: from Anibal Troilo and RICO: from Leopoldo Federico. By this way, ASTRORICO`s leader, Toshi Monna gives an atributte to the above mentioned.

How did ASTRORICO appeared on this World ?

In 1991, Toshio Monna, one of the pioneer of bandoneon in Japan, decided to get together the best of the best classical musicians of the area of Kansai, to create a new Progressive Group that would cause impact in the local area.

Toshio MONNA

Since ASTRORICO`s creations, it has been the leaders of the new "Tango of the Century". ASTRORICO has been playing not only authentically classic tango, but they play as well and had been the firsts to recognize the cultural value of the music from the master of modern Tango "Astor Piazzolla". ASTRORICO performed stages with Filarmonic Orchestas, and different kinds of artists and singers that were something unusual at that time. Therefore they won the privillege name of the "Embassadors of Tango in Japan".

ASTRORICO`s concert tour in Spain in 1993 and in Argentina in 1994 were highly valued by the local prense as below: "They could transmited the Sentiment of Tango as good or even better that an argentinean". This led ASTRORICO to the invitation to the International Tango Festival in Granada, Spain, in 1995, and to the Third Tango Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1996.

in 1996 at Bs. As.

In march of 1997 they recorded at Buenos Aires their third CD: "De Japon a Buenos Aires". In february 1998, again they recorded at Buenos Aires a new CD named "Che Tango" with the well known japanese singer Mizuki Oura. At an event for the "Commemorance of the Centenary of the japanese-argentine`s relationships", ASTRORICO had the chance once again to acted for the argentinean audience sponsored by the City of San Isidro and by the Japanese Embassy. At their way back to Japan, together with Mizuki Oura presented a great concert in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya which was very successful and very well recognized by the people. In Agust 1998, at Tokyo again, they presented their own creation denominated "A todo Piazzolla", a concert that no one will forget and that makes ASTRORICO create and offer a new and better Tango everyday.

Mizuki OURA

For ASTRORICO, tango is a feeling that must be transmited to all generations, besides of concerts and live shows, they feel the neccesity to transmit Tango at places like universities, junior high schools and so on for the spread of Tango... "Tango must be for everyone, there are no borders, limits and language obstacules for this amazing and apassionated music called Tango Argentino.

ASTRORICO and its Members

The base of ASTRORICO is formed by bandoneon, violin, piano and contrabass (Cuarteto), but ASTRORICO is as flexible as the bandoneon itself, and it could transform from a Trio to a Septeto, along with dancers and or singers

Toshio MONNA (Bandoneon & Direction)
	O ne of the pioneers of bandoneon in Japan. He discovered Tango through a LP; when he was 21 years old, captured by Tango, he began to play the bandoneon. He did it so well, that soon he could transmited that apassionated feeling for tango to everyone that had listened to his art since then. I n 1960, he worked in the "Orquesta Tipica Portena" and later on he was the figure in "Los Tangueros". Finally in 1991, he founded la "Orquesta Astrorico". He feels the neccesity to transmit this musical art to the new generations, therefore he is always insisting to show and be in contact with the youngers... the new generations of the Argentine Tango, his only and ever Passion.

Toshio MONNA (Bandoneon & Direction)

O ne of the pioneers of bandoneon in Japan. He discovered Tango through a LP; when he was 21 years old, captured by Tango, he began to play the bandoneon. He did it so well, that soon he could transmited that apassionated feeling for tango to everyone that had listened to his art since then.

I n 1960, he worked in the "Orquesta Tipica Portena" and later on he was the figure in "Los Tangueros". Finally in 1991, he founded la "Orquesta Astrorico".

He feels the neccesity to transmit this musical art to the new generations, therefore he is always insisting to show and be in contact with the youngers... the new generations of the Argentine Tango, his only and ever Passion.

Septeto Astrorico

Rica ASABA	violin
Makoto TAKASE	violin
Shinichiro USHIO	violin
Minako HAYAMI	violin-viola
Aiko YAMAMOTO	viola
Kazuhito SHIMIZU	violoncello
Masao KIMURA	violoncello
Isao OTSUKA	contrabass
Kaoru HIRAI	piano

Lucia y Alvaro (Dancers)
L ucia is half chilean and half japanese, at the age of 9 in Canada she started her dance studies, and at the age of 15 in Chile, she dedicated only and exclusively to the Tango dance, that is as popular as in Argentina. A lvaro, chilean, since he was 7 years old, he had been working in Television as a dancer, when he was 11 he started his studies of Modern Dance, at the age of 15 he moved to Switzerland to continue his dance studies; at his way back to Chile he found out that Tango and only Tango was going to be his eternal Obsession. He studied it at the "Club de Tango Anibal Troilo". L ucia y Alvaro got perfeccionated with the famous Tango Dancer "Pupi" Castello, and they were recognized as Tango Teachers of the First Category. This young dance couple could show the world... the passion, elegance, vitality, the most famous figures and the clear contrast between a man and a women in a Tango World talking. "Tango Argentino Obsesion" e-mail:sab11@pearl.ocn.ne.jp

Lucia y Alvaro (Dancers)

L ucia is half chilean and half japanese, at the age of 9 in Canada she started her dance studies, and at the age of 15 in Chile, she dedicated only and exclusively to the Tango dance, that is as popular as in Argentina.

A lvaro, chilean, since he was 7 years old, he had been working in Television as a dancer, when he was 11 he started his studies of Modern Dance, at the age of 15 he moved to Switzerland to continue his dance studies; at his way back to Chile he found out that Tango and only Tango was going to be his eternal Obsession. He studied it at the "Club de Tango Anibal Troilo".

L ucia y Alvaro got perfeccionated with the famous Tango Dancer "Pupi" Castello, and they were recognized as Tango Teachers of the First Category. This young dance couple could show the world... the passion, elegance, vitality, the most famous figures and the clear contrast between a man and a women in a Tango World talking.

"Tango Argentino Obsesion"

e-mail:sab11@pearl.ocn.ne.jp

Roberto de Lozano (Canto)
	e-mail:rion@ea.mbn.or.jp

Astrorico has released these CDs.

"Zum", "Che Tango", "Preludio para el Anos 3001", "...de Japon a Bs.As." & "M x PIAZZOLLA" are available now.

Astrorico's CDs.

Orquesta Astrorico "Tango Message vol.1" (sold out) LMCD-0361 2800yen	Cuarteto Astrorico "Tango Message vol.2" (sold out) LMCD-0361 2800yen	Orquesta Astrorico "...de Japon a Bs.As." SOL-001 3000yen recorded in Bs.As.	Orquesta Astrorico "ZUM" SOL-003 3000yen The Piazzolla Memorial Concert, recorded in Kyoto Caltural Museum	CUMBRE MUNDIAL DEL TANGO. GRANADA 1995

OURA MIZUKI & ASTRORICO			Maestro Monna plays bandoneon.

OURA Mizuki y Astrorico "Che Tango" CRCP-20180 2857yen+tax recorded in Bs.As.	OURA Mizuki y Astrorico "Preludio para el Anos 3001" CRCP-20233 2857yen+tax art direction by Tadanori YOKOO live recording		KOMATSU Machiko y Tango Cristal 3000yen	HIRANO Yosuke y Los Tangueros SOL-002 2500yen	TSUUZAKI Mutsumi "M x PIAZZOLLA" escc-0005 2800yen+tax

Office Soluna
Ainomachi Hause209, Nijyo-kudaru, Ainomachi, Nakagyoku,
KYOTO, 604-0832, JAPAN.
TEL: +81-75-211-9205@FAX: +81-75-211-9204
e-mail:astrorico@ma3.justnet.ne.jp