Alberto Ginastera

Alberto Ginastera

Biography:

Alberto Ginastera was born in Buenos Aires in 1916.  He was a talented musician as a child and went on to study in Buenos Aires at the Conservatorio Williams, and the National Conservatory.  He won his first prize in a completion at the age of 22 for Piezas Infantiles, written for the piano.  A performance at the Treatro Colon of an orchestral suite from his Ballet Panambi, which was written in 1937, earned him national recognition before he had even finished his studies.  He went on to become a professor of composition at the National Conservatory, and one of his most notable students there was Astor Piazzolla who went on to revolutionize tango. 

In 1942, Alberto Ginastera received a grant from the Guggenheim School to visit the United States, but did not depart until 1945. He spent his time in the United States working with American composers and studying with Aaron Copland at Tanglewood in Massachusetts.  This trip influenced his compositions and when he returned to Buenos Aires, Alberto reunited with some of his contemporaries to create La Liga de los Compositores (The League of Composers).

A performance of his Second String Quartet by the Juilliard Quartet in

Washington, D.C. in 1958 earned him international acclaim.  He has written three operas, two ballets, six concertos, two pieces for choral orchestra, and many chamber/instrumental pieces. Several of his fifty-five works were in cooperation with Carlos Chávez and Heitor Villa-Lobos.  Alberto Ginastera is a member of The Academy of Fine Arts in Argentina, an honorable member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, honorable member of the School of Music Science and Art (University of the nation of Chile), Member of the Association of Chilean composers, and a honorable member  of the Music Academy of Brazil.  He died in Geneva, Switzerland in 1983.

Bibliography:

http://www.fuguemasters.com/ginaster.html

http://www.pianored.com/ginastera.html

http://pianosociety.com/cms/index.php?section=1223

http://www.fuguemasters.com/ginaster.html

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/ginastera.php

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/233882/Alberto-Ginastera

http://www.pianored.com/ginastera.html

 Discography:

 Opera:

·         Don Rodrigo, Op. 31 (1963–64)

·         Bomarzo, Op. 34 (1966–67), banned in Argentina until 1972

·         Beatrix Cenci, Op. 38 (1971), based on the play The Cenci (1819) by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ballet:

·         Panambí, Op. 1 (1934–1937)

·         Estancia, Op. 8 (1941)

Orchestral:

·         Obertura para el "Fausto" criollo, Op. 9 (1943)

·         Ollantay: 3 Symphonic Movements, Op. 17 (1947)

·         Variaciones concertantes, Op. 23 (1953)

·         Pampeana No. 3, Op. 24 (1954)

·         Concerto per corde, Op. 33 (1965)

·         Estudios Sinfonicos, Op. 35 (1967)

·         Popol Vuh, Op. 44 (1975–1983, left incomplete at the composer's death)

·         Glosses sobre temes de Pau Casals for string orchestra, Op. 46 (1976)

·         Glosses sobre temes de Pau Casals for full orchestra, Op. 48 (1976–77)

·         Iubilum, Op. 51 (1979–80)

Concert:

·         Harp

·         Harp Concerto, Op. 25 (1956–65)

·         Piano

·         Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 28 (1961)

·         Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 39 (1972)

·         Violin

·         Violin Concerto, Op. 30 (1963)

·         Cello

·         Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 36 (1968)

·         Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 50 (1980–81)

Piano:

·         Danzas argentinas, Op. 2 (1937)

·         Tres piezas, Op. 6 (1940)

·         Malambo, Op. 7 ( 1940)

·         Pequena Danza (from the ballet Estancia, Op. 8) (1941)

·         12 Preludios americanos, Op. 12 (1944)

·         Suite de danzas criollas, Op. 15 (1946, rev. 1956)

·         Rondó sobre temas infantiles argentinos, Op. 19 (1947)

·         Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 (1952)

·         Arrangement of an Organ Toccata by Domenico Zipoli (1970)

·         Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 53 (1981)

·         Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 54 (1982)

·         Danzas argentinas Para los ninos (Unfinished)

·         Moderato: para Alex

·         Paisaje: para Georgina

Organ:

·         Toccata, Villancico y Fuga, Op. 18 (1947)

·         Variazioni e Toccata sopra Aurora lucis rutilat, Op. 52 (1980)

v  Variación 1: Maestoso

v  Variación 2: Tempo giusto

v  Variación 3: Impetuoso, l'istesso tempo

v  Variación 4: Vivacissimo

v  Variación 5: L'istesso tempo

v  Variación 6: L'istesso tempo

v  Variación 7: Sereno

v  Variación 8: Estatico

v  Variación 9: Quasi allegretto

v  Variación 10: Pastorale

v  Variación 11: Andantino poetico

v  Variación 12: Lento

v  Toccata – Finale: Tema

Vocal/choral:

·         2 canciones, for voice and piano, Op. 3 (1938)

·         Cantos del Tucumán, for voice, flute, harp, percussion, and violin, Op. 4 (1938)

·         Psalm 150, for chorus, Op. 5 (1938)

·         5 canciones populares argentinas, for voice and piano, Op. 10 (1943)

·         Las horas de una estancia, for voice and piano, Op. 11 (1943)

·         Hieremiae prophetae lamentationes, for chorus, Op. 14 (1946)

·         Cantata para América mágica, for dramatic soprano and percussion orchestra, Op. 27 (1960)

·         Cantata Bomarzo, for soloists, narrator, and chamber orchestra, Op. 32 (1964)

·         Milena, for soprano and orchestra, Op. 37 (1971)

·         Serenata, for baritone, violoncello, wind quintet, percussion, harp, and double bass, Op. 42 (1973)

·         Turbae ad passionem gregorianam, for soloists, chorus, boy's chorus and orchestra, Op. 43 (1975)

·         Canción del beso robado, for voice and piano (19??)

Chamber/solo instrumental:

·         Duo, for flute and oboe, Op. 13 (1945)

·         Pampeana No. 1, for violin and piano, Op. 16 (1947)

·         String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20 (1948)

·         Pampeana No. 2, for violoncello and piano, Op. 21 (1950)

·         String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26 (1958, Rev. 1968)

·         Piano Quintet, Op. 29 (1963)

·         String Quartet No. 3, for soprano and string quartet, Op. 40 (1973)

·         Puneña no.1, for flute, Op. 41 (1973, left incomplete at the time of the composer's death)

·         Puneña no.2 ("Hommage à Paul Sacher"), for violoncello, Op. 45 (1976)

·         Sonata for guitar, Op. 47 (1976, Rev. 1981)

·         Sonata, for violoncello and piano, Op. 49 (1979)

Works withdrawn by the composer (without opus number):

·         Piezas Infantiles, for piano (1934)

·         Impresiones de la Puna, for flute and string quartet (1934)

·         Concierto argentino, for piano and orchestra (1936)

·         El arriero canta, for chorus (1937)

·         Sonatina, for harp (1938)

·         Symphony No. 1 ("Porteña") (1942)

·         Symphony No. 2 ("Elegíaca") (1944)

Incidental/film Music:

·         Don Basilio malcasado (1940)

·         Doña Clorinda la descontenta (1941)

·         Malambo (1942)

·         Rosa de América (1945)

·         Las antiguas semillas (1947)

·         Nace la libertad (1949)

·         El puente (1950)

·         Facundo, el tigre de los llanos (1952)

·         Caballito criollo (1953)

·         Su seguro servidor (1954)

·         Los maridos de mamá (1956)

·         Enigma de mujer (1956)

·         Primavera de la vida (1958)

·         Hay que bañar al nene (1958)

·         El límite (1958)

·         A María del corazón (1960)

·         La doncella prodigiosa (1961)