Konrad Ostrowski and Lili Larys: Tango „Illusion”, 1929

This video is devoted to the memory of a couple of Polish dancers, a duet Konrad Ostrowski and Lili Larys. In 1928 a well known and talented young dancer Konrad Ostrowski was seeking a female partner to create a duet. The one that he found and immediately accepted – after making a few ‘pas’ trials only – was a young girl from Warsaw, Helena Maliszewska, soon called by her artistic pseudo, Lili Larys. Their dancing productions in Warsaw cabarets received a vivid acclaim of the audience as well as the critic; they danced together for two years. One of their numbers at that time, was so called tango-apache, danced to the music of the “Tango Illusion”, composition of Erwin Hentschel, the tango whose popularity had then started.Apart from the story here presented, in the video there are photos of both artists shown at the beginning and separately one of Miss Larys’, in one of her tango poses.The music appearing in the video is a recording of tango “Illusion” made ca. ten years after the story of the dancing couple, when character of such a music had dramatically changed, having been modernized and this tango, on the present record, is played in a rather straightforward, flat and standard style. The Polish arranger did not care what the composer was pointing out in his music: that it should be played first ‘misterioso’ and then ‘dolce’, respectively in first and second part. The dramatic beginning of the composition existing in the original was regretfully omitted in Polish version at all.The author of the video ventured to add it himself on the piano.Unqestionably, a valuable feature of the Polish recording is a vocal part of the Polish tenor – Janusz Poplawski – made with a due grace and charm. –Thanks to Jerzy Czyż for the starting graphic composition !* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *