Piazzolla's tango opera from 1968 isn't really an opera, more a musical, and maybe even more a "tango ballet". Piazzolla and his lyricist Horacio Ferrer called it an ‘operita’, a pun on ‘operetta’ and the Spanish ‘obrita’ or ‘little work’. Conceived as a multimedia piece, film was included in the 1968 premiere, which took place against a background of increased censorship on the part of Argentina’s military government.

In summary, the piece tells the story of Maria, a prostitute born in the slums "one day when God was drunk … with a curse in her voice." Maria is seduced by the rhythms of the tango and soon becomes "the most sorcerous singer and lover" in Buenos Aires. Her "fatal passion" arouses the wrath of robbers and brothel madams who shoot her to death, and bury her in an unmarked grave. In death, Maria is pulled into a dreamlike Hell where she encounters the choral circus of psychoanalysts who dissect her to the core. She makes a resurrection of sorts when she returns as a Shadow, gives birth to a new Maria, and haunts the sordid streets of Buenos Aires which she once walked.

The music is wonderful, and the singing (although clearly amplified) was glorious. The dancing - a mix of balletic movement and tango dancing was very impressive, and the Director used acrobats to heighten the action and illustrate the dreamlike movements. Amazingly the production included an ice rink on stage, where the "new Maria" is initially seen and skates to the delight of the people of Buenos Aires.

For it's time, the libretto was probably flying close to the limits of 1968 Argentinian censorship. Maria is a sensual and erotic creature, arguably a metaphor for the history of tango itself. She (and it) are debased, idolised and renewed. The score, which makes extensive use of the bandoneón, combines tangos and milongas, with other influences such as jazz and piano-bar music. I enjoyed it very much, despite the absence of English subtitles, and the rather bizarre and complex plot.