Ginastera: Danzas argentinas, Op. 2

A few weeks ago, I commented that we were featuring performances by composers who are not generally listed among the “great masters.” But looking back over the past 23 weeks, I see mostly famous names. So I’m ready to venture into new territory again, this time south of the border, with the Argentinian Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983).

Ginastera was basically a footnote in my music history classes. I was familiar with him only in very general terms. I had not played his works or made any real study of them. So when I look around for something to listen to in my leisure time, Ginastera rarely comes to mind.

But that may be about to change. Just the other night I heard live concert performance of the Danzas argentinas, and that has prompted me to take a closer look (and to share it here). Ginastera focused his writing on Argentinian nationalism, and naturally turned to the local folk music to accomplish that. And one of the most important cultural symbols of Argentina is the gaucho (cowboy). The three dances in this collections are “Dance of the Old Herdsman,” “Dance of the Beautiful Maiden,” and “Dance of the Arrogant Cowboy.” The first dance is bi-tonal: the left hand plays only black notes (virtually throughout) and the right hand only white notes. The melancholy second dance is followed by the arrogant gaucho, although “arrogant” doesn’t quite capture the mood of this wild ride.