The tango has always retained its image of a dance unashamedly sensual in character. Developed in the poorer districts of Buenos Aires during the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, it combined new music and dance styles from different countries with those of the native population to form a dance now popular all over the world. This recording presents a fascinating cross section of Argentinian composers from the three most successful periods in the history of tango, before and after the First World War, the golden age from the 1930s until the military coup in 1955 and the current worldwide renaissance. If pride of place goes to the master himself, Astor Piazzola, it was Carlos Gardel who made the tango fashionable abroad during the 1920s, while Lito Vitale belongs to a new generation of Argentinian composers who have combined the form with jazz and folk-music.