On the fertile banks of the Río de la Plata, circa 150 years ago, a primordial plasma of rhythmic and harmonic energy conceived an immortal spirit – a genie that could not be contained, that reverse-colonised Europe, then the rest of the planet, spawned numerous sub-genres, and permanently implanted its DNA into the core genome of human culture. Irresistibly attractive – the offspring of its many multi-racial parents including Milonga, Habanera, and Candombe which variously trace their musical roots to Africa, Spain, Cuba, and the indigenous peoples of Uruguay and Argentina – its destiny was to become synonymous with Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) who brought it exultantly into the concert hall, and in whose hands it absorbed the polyphony of Bach and other classical influences. In the early 2020s lockdown era, while we all collected dust, it continued to multiply, infecting all six ravishing movements of Take Me Along by Australia’s own queen of this genre, Elena Kats-Chernin. And to lead us in tonight’s celebration, our very own internationally renowned king of the virtuoso classical accordion, Scotland-born Sydney-based James Crabb, heads up an all-star cast for an intoxicating body-and-soul immersion in TANGO.