Tango to Evora

Tango to Evora … a solo piano arrangement of the well-known 1991 instrumental composition by Loreena McKennitt, a phenomenal Canadian singer/songwriter. This is not a Tango from the “golden age” of Argentinian Tangos. It is a modern Tango with Celtic and world music coloration which inspire not just dancing but also thoughts of travel, distant lands and the mystique of the world. Released on her 4th album, The Visit, in 1991 and rereleased on her 2018 Album, A Mediterranean Odyssey, Tango to Evora was originally composed and used as the title track to a 1991 film produced by the National Film Board of Canada titled “The Burning Times”. This film is a modern feminist documentary about witchcraft and the use of that label to persecute women over the centuries for their beliefs, knowledge and/or leadership in various societies. The entire film can be found on YouTube and is well worth watching. While most people attribute the title to referring to the Portuguese City of Évora, I recall reading back in the 1990s some notes that indicated Ms. McKennitt had actually meant the song to be more of a tribute to the great singer Cesária Évora from the Cape Verde Islands. When Ms. Évora passed away in 2011, many people started using Tango To Evora to honor her passing – even composing words for the music to celebrate her life and impact on the world. Loreena McKennitt has typically written music that uses many Celtic and other ethnic musical influences. She is a skilled...