Alberto Ginastera
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Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (April 11, 1916 Buenos Aires - June 25, 1983 Geneva) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered one of the most important Latin American classical composers.
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[edit] Biography
Ginastera was born in Buenos Aires to a Catalan father and an Italian mother. He preferred to pronounce his surname in its Catalan pronunciation, with a soft "G" (i.e., JEE'-nah-STEH-rah rather than the Castilian Spanish HEE'-nah-STEH-rah).
He studied at the conservatory in Buenos Aires, graduating in 1938. After a visit to the United States of America in 1945–47, where he studied with Aaron Copland at Tanglewood, he returned to Buenos Aires and co-founded the League of Composers. He held a number of teaching posts. He moved back to the USA in 1968 and from 1970 lived in Europe. He died in Geneva.
[edit] Music
Ginastera grouped his music into three periods: "Objective Nationalism" (1934–1948), "Subjective Nationalism" (1948–1958), and "Neo-Expressionism" (1958–1983). Among other distinguishing features, these periods vary in their use of traditional Argentine musical elements. His Objective Nationalistic works often integrate Argentine folk themes in a straightforward fashion, while works in the later periods incorporated traditional elements in increasingly abstracted forms.
The progressive rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer brought Ginastera attention outside of modern classical music circles when they adapted the fourth movement of his first piano concerto and recorded it on their popular album Brain Salad Surgery under the title "Toccata." They recorded the piece not only with Ginastera's permission, but with his endorsement. In 1973, when they were recording the album, Keith Emerson met with Ginastera at his home in Switzerland and played a recording of his arrangement for him. Ginastera is reported to have said, "Diabolical!" Emerson, misunderstanding Ginastera's meaning (he spoke no English and meant that their interpretation was frightening, which was his intent when he wrote it), was so disappointed he was prepared to scrap the piece when Ginastera's wife intervened saying that he approved. Ginastera later said, "You have captured the essence of my music, and no one's ever done that before." Emerson would later go on to release an adaptation of Ginastera's Suite de Danzas Criollas entitled "Creole Dance". "Toccata" also gained fame as the theme to the New England cult TV show Creature Double Feature.
[edit] Works
[edit] Opera
- Don Rodrigo (1964)
- Bomarzo (1967), banned for obscenity
- Beatrix Cenci (1971)
[edit] Ballet
[edit] Concertante
- Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 28
- Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 39
- Violin Concerto
- Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 36
- Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 50
- Harp Concerto
[edit] Vocal/choral orchestral
- Cinco canciones populares argentinas (1943)
- Lamentaciones de Jeremias Propheta (1946)
- Bomarzo (1964), a cantata described as "distinct from the opera" by the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music
- Psalm 150
[edit] Chamber/instrumental
- Piano Quintet
- String Quartet No. 1
- String Quartet No. 2
- String Quartet No. 3
- Cello Sonata
- Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22
- Piano Sonata No. 2
- Piano Sonata No. 3
- Danzas Argentinas, for piano
- Guitar Sonata, Op. 47
- Pampeana No. 1, for violin and piano
- Pampeana No. 2, for cello and piano
- Pampeana No. 3, for piano
- Suite de Danzas Criollas, for piano
- 12 Preludes for solo piano
[edit] External links
- Danza de la Moza Donosa streaming file performed by Andrys Basten.
- Chronology of Ginastera's works
- Sonata, Alberto Ginastera
