In 1952, Leroy Anderson was awarded a gold record for his 1951 hit recording of Blue Tango, which sold more than a million copies. Here was a work in which Anderson employed the Argentinean tango rhythm, but made no attempt at garish effects with it. Instead, he focused on melody and subtlety, never acquiescing to the temptation to allow the work's rhythmic aspects to overwhelm the music. That said, the listener cannot help but notice the lively beat and the colorful percussion used to convey the sensuous step of the dance. The main theme is mostly subdued throughout the work, even when the music builds up toward the end for what the listener expects will be a grandly colorful, if not bombastic ending. The melody is serene but exudes a sensuousness in its suave gait and mellow string sonorities. Yet there is an ever-present playfulness in the chirping flute, a sense the sun is still shining over the dancehall. The music grows somewhat fuller in sound as the piece progresses, the insistent percussion seeming to goad the other instruments into an eruption. But the music becomes subdued once again and the piece quietly ends.

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