This is a gift from the City of Chemnitz and the Saxon Mozart Festival to YOU, who keep the dance and the music alive in Europe!

Why Chemnitz?
We are coming to Chemnitz because of a beautiful family, their love of music, a classical music society, a city, and their desire to give back to those who are keeping the music and the dance of Tango alive in this part of Europe, in the place where the bandoneon was born.

We come for the dance and events offered as a gift by these kind people.
And we come because of:

• Carl Friedrich Uhlig, born in Chemnitz, and his Chemnitzer concertina
• The connection between Chemnitz and Carlsfeld.
• Mr. Zimmerman who first produced his concertinas in Carlsfeld.
• Mr. Band who worked so hard to promote, sell and teach the instrument produced in Carlsfeld that became known as ‘bandoneon’.
• E.L. Arnold who continued and further refined that instrument, and who began and greatly expanded the Arnold family legacy of bandoneon production.
• Alfred & Paul Arnold, E.L’s sons, who opened their own factory, created and supplied the bandoneon exported primarily to Argentina and Uruguay, which became the indispensable instrument of Argentine tango.
• Mr. Alfred Arnold who determinedly continued to produce his non-tremolo 142 tone bandoneon, thereby preserving the sound that is the heart-tearing, heart-opening foundation of Tango.

It was Alfred Arnold who defied the push to standardize the bandoneon. Therefore the AA remained without tremolo, the offset lighter, brighter, happier sound, like that of an accordion. It is the non-tremolo bandoneon which gives tango its purity, it’s depth, the sound of longing— the heart-wrenching, heart-opening exquisite tones of tango.

So the juice, the gorgeous sound of tango and its  soul-stirring effect on us as dancers, continued to exist, because of him.

We come to lay a flower at Alfred Arnold’s memorial in Carlsfeld, and pay homage to the place and the people behind our beloved bandoneon!