Duettango

Cesare Chiacchieretta, bandoneon

Andrea Timpanaro, violino

Filippo Arlia, piano

Duettango was born from an idea by Filippo Arlia, pianist and frontman of the ensemble since 2008. With more than 250 concerts to its credit, Duettango made its debut at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall in 2015, receiving an enthusiastic standing ovation from the American audience. In 2016, the ensemble took part in the Italian premiere of Astor Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires.

In 2017, with the special participation of violinist Fernando Suárez Paz, a member of Piazzolla’s legendary Quinteto Nuevo Tango, the duo released its first album, Duettango, on Fonè Records. Released in 16 countries worldwide, the album immediately received considerable acclaim from leading media outlets and was presented live on Rai Radio 3 as part of the Concerti del Quirinale series in Rome.

Duettango was awarded the “Piazzolla Award 2018” by the Astor Piazzolla Foundation in Buenos Aires for the best album of the year. In 2020, the ensemble released Non solo Tango, a live album recorded in analogue in Pontedera by Fonè Records with the support of the Piaggio Museum. In 2021, track no. 11, Libertango, ranked among the ten most-played tracks on iTunes in Argentina.

Duettango is not simply a duo: over the years it has developed major collaborations with nationally and internationally renowned musicians, always following in the footsteps of Astor Piazzolla.

Among these is the collaboration between Duettango and Silvia Mezzanotte, one of Italy’s leading singers and soloists. Together with the celebrated former voice of Matia Bazar, Duettango explores the meeting point between classical music, jazz and the traditional tango of Buenos Aires. The Bologna-born singer performs the original lyrics of tango poet Horacio Ferrer, Piazzolla’s renowned lyricist and close artistic collaborator.

Performing as a quintet, Duettango released the album Revirado in 2022, available from specialist record stores on Super Audio CD and Super Audiophile Vinyl, Made in Japan.

Duettango returned to New York in 2025 for the fifth American edition of the Peperoncino Jazz Festival, performing at the DiMenna Center in the Mary Cary Flagler Hall. In September 2025, the ensemble gave a preview presentation of its new album, Piazzolla Suites, in Japan as part of Expo Osaka 2025.

The Astor Piazzolla Centenary in 2021: A Historic Event

On 11 March 2021, the centenary of the birth of Astor Piazzolla, the Argentine composer and arranger regarded as one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century, was celebrated. The celebrations were held under the auspices of the Astor Piazzolla Foundation in Buenos Aires.

To mark Piazzolla’s birthday on 11 March, a major commemorative event was held, marking a historic occasion. Just a few days earlier, on 27 February 2021, Laura Escalada Piazzolla—the renowned composer’s wife, as well as patron and honorary president of the Academy—personally presented Duettango with an invaluable piece of musical history: the second bandoneon played by Astor as a child, dating from 1921. Laura Escalada’s gesture was a powerful expression of trust and recognition of the quality of the initiatives organised to celebrate the centenary.

Her words were deeply moving: “This is the second bandoneon Astor played as a child, and I want it to be played by Duettango.”

The event further enriched the ensemble’s cultural and artistic heritage, placing Duettango at the heart of an international tribute to one of the giants of twentieth-century music.