Gustavo Beytelmann was my composition teacher when I studied bandoneon at the Rotterdam Conservatory from 1993 to 1998. Since the death of Osvaldo Pugliese in 1995, Gustavo Beytelmann is the artistic director of the tango department.

Today’s podcast features pianist Carlos Garcia. I interviewed him in January 1999 in a confectionery on Corrientes Avenue. Only a few steps separated us from the Alvear Theater, where we rehearsed after our conversation with the Municipal Tango Orchestra of Buenos Aires. He has conducted this orchestra together with Raúl Garelo since its foundation in 1980.

Today we have an interview with Osvaldo Pugliese. When I met him and interviewed him in Rotterdam in 1993, the great master was already 88 years old. He was the first artistic director of the Tango Department of the Rotterdam Conservatory. When he came to Rotterdam for the inauguration, I had the honour of accompanying and performing for him. Unfortunately, I didn’t speak Spanish very well at the time, and Pugliese was already a little deaf, so his wife Lydia repeated my questions. Pugliese called me “Helenita de oro”, something that filled me with pride. His great calm and aura impressed me and accompanied me during my music studies, even after his sad passing, 2 years later.