“here is the tango, raw, intoxicating, speaking with its true voice.” – Financial Times
“composer and bandoneon master Julian Rowlands ensures that the evening reaches the state of tango nirvana” – The Guardian
Julian Rowlands is a bandoneonist, pianist, composer and arranger based in London, UK. He specialises in the whole range of tango music from the guardia vieja and golden age to the tango nuevo works of Astor Piazzolla and the contemporary scene. He also performs opera, classical, contemporary and world music.
Broadcast work has included BBC TV “Strictly Come Dancing”, “The One Show” , “Zingzillas”, ITV’s “Surprise Surprise”, BBC Radio 3 “In Tune” and “The Sound of Dance”, BBC Radio 4 “Front Row”, and “The Tom Robinson Show” on Radio 6.
As well as performing with his own ensemble Tango Siempre, Julian has worked with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera, English National Opera, the City of London Sinfonia, Chineke, the RTE Concert Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra (Dublin), The Desbande Quintet, Erwin Schrott, Fatma Said and Omar Puente.
Julian Rowlands’ repertoire includes the major works of Astor Piazzolla including the concertos, quintets, Tango Sensations and solo arrangements; the operas Maria de Buenos Aires (Piazzolla/Ferrer) and Mahagonny (Weill/Brecht); the Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango), Nisi Dominus and Magnificat by Martin Palmieri, having given the UK premiere of the latter two with the composer; solo classical pieces and chamber works by Bach, Schubert and Schumann; traditional and contemporary tango arrangements, and his own compositions.
Together with Ros Stephen and Jonathan Taylor of Tango Siempre, Julian created the score for the Olivier-nominated show “Midnight Tango” starring Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone, and appeared in its 480 performances in the west end and on tour from 2011-2013. Other composing and arranging credits include “Flying into daylight” by Emmy award winning writer Ron Hutchinson, Tangomotion and other Tango Siempre productions, and Violetta’s Last tango. His recordings of Piazzolla with the Santiago String Quartet on the 2018 album “Language of the Heart” attracted praise from artists including Sting, Bob Geldof and Tom Robinson. Other recording credits include Julien Clerc, Loving Vincent, Bryan Ferry and Gainsbourg Reimagined.
Julian has composed and recorded music for a number of commercial music labels. Publications by Julian Rowlands in the Schott World Music series include “Argentinian Tango and Folk Tunes for Piano”, “Russian Folk Tunes for Piano“, “Russian Folk Tunes for Accordion“, “Klezmer Piano” and “Klezmer Fiddle” (with Ros Stephen).