Evening: Piazzolla Tango
Dinner and the show are at the Teatro Astor Piazzolla, on Calle Florida in the city centre. The venue is hidden in plain sight — it sits in the basement of the Galería General Güemes, a late Art Nouveau tower at Florida 165. The gallery was designed by Italian architect Francisco Gianotti and built around 1915, and for a time it was the highest structure in Argentina; the illuminated lighthouse in its 87-metre dome served as a reference for vessels on the Río de la Plata. The theatre in the basement hosted a performance by Carlos Gardel in 1917 and went on to become a celebrated cabaret.
The show is named for Astor Piazzolla, the Argentine composer and bandoneon player who transformed tango from a dance-hall idiom into a concert music of startling harmonic and rhythmic complexity. Dinner begins around 8:30 pm; the performance starts at 10:00 pm and runs for roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. Dress code is smart casual.