Phantom Tangos: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

$50.00 USD

Phantom Tangos: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Phantom Tangos: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 98-ST6168
Price: 50.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

By Brian Balmages

Grade: 4

Item: 98-ST6168

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This serious festival work relies heavily on various elements of the tango, set in a more contemporary framework. While the title mainly refers to the way various tangos come and go (through multiple transitional devices), it also references the opening and closing sections, which include a "phantom sound" through the use of mild dissonance and sudden dynamic changes that seemingly appear out of nowhere. Highly creative and unique!

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Series: FJH String Orchestra

Publisher: The FJH Music Company, Inc.

UPC: 674398223794

SKU: 98-ST6168

More about this title

About the Composer: Brian Balmages

Brian Balmages has established himself as a composer and conductor working fluently across orchestral, band, and chamber idioms. His works have reached stages from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center to the Sydney Opera House, performed by ensembles ranging from professional orchestras to school groups. He holds the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association, won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest, and is a member of the American Bandmasters Association.

Balmages has received commissions from major institutions, including the University of Miami for its presidential inauguration, and his music was performed at the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service. As a conductor, he regularly appears at all-state festivals, university ensembles, and international conferences including the Midwest Clinic and Western International Band Clinic. He currently serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic.

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Why we love this

Balmages crafts tango references into something that feels neither folk arrangement nor kitsch, but genuinely contemporary. The constant pulse of tango rhythm filtered through shifting textures and that unsettling "phantom sound" concept keeps players engaged beyond simple style pastiche, while the transitional devices between tango sections prevent the work from becoming predictable.

What to expect

Tango swagger gives way to unsettling quietude, then returns transformed. The work hovers between recognizable tango gesture and something stranger; dancers made of shadow, rhythm that grounds you even as the harmony tips sideways. It's contemporary without sounding atonal, atmospheric without losing forward motion.

Who it's for

Grade 4 string orchestras ready to move beyond conventional repertoire into something with real compositional personality. Directors programming festival season or looking for an October/Halloween-adjacent work that earns its thematic sophistication will find a serious piece that doesn't feel studious.

How to get the most out of it

Clarify the distinction between the propulsive tango sections and those "phantom" opening and closing passages where dissonance and sudden dynamic shifts are your main colors; rehearse them as separate musical worlds.
Let the rhythmic precision of the tango sections drive engagement, but resist rushing; a relaxed, confident pulse will let the contemporary harmonic language sit more naturally.
Shape the transitions deliberately. These aren't accidents or modulations but compositional choices that deserve intentional ensemble phrasing.

How to use it

Pair this as the anchor of a festival submission or as a standout on a pops concert that needs edge. Its Halloween connection makes late October programming natural, but the serious compositional work justifies placing it in a more formal concert context alongside traditional festival repertoire.