Osmar Maderna y su orquesta

Osmar Maderna y su orquesta was a prominent Argentine tango ensemble formed in 1945 by pianist and conductor Osmar Maderna (1918–1951). Operating during the golden age of tango, the orchestra exemplified the symphonic, innovatively arranged style that distinguished Maderna as a composer-bandleader, earning him the epithet “El Chopin del Tango.” The ensemble featured violinists Aquiles Roggero and Arturo Cipolla, bandoneón player Felipe Ricciardi, and notable vocalists including Orlando Verri, Luis Tolosa, Pedro Datila, Mario Corrales (later Mario Pomar), Héctor de Rosas, and Adolfo Rivas. Maderna’s distinctive tango-fantasías—Concierto en la luna, Lluvia de Estrellas, and Escalas en Azul—combined orchestral sophistication with virtuosic piano performance. The orchestra recorded 52 works for RCA Víctor (1946–1951) alongside early Sondor releases, establishing a repertoire of both innovative compositions and reinterpretations of the tango canon. After Maderna’s death in an aircraft accident on April 28, 1951, his first violinist Aquiles Roggero continued the ensemble as Orquesta Símbolo Osmar Maderna, preserving his musical legacy.