ALBERTO GINASTERA

Alberto Ginastera was one of the most original composers of 20th-century South American academic music. His music is characterised by Argentine folklore motifs, elements of neoclassicism, and new means of musical expression (polytonality, dodecaphony, sonorism). Ginastera himself grouped his work into three periods: ‘objective nationalism’, ‘subjective nationalism’ and ‘neo-expressionism’. One of the most striking examples of the ‘objective nationalism’ period, and indeed of his entire oeuvre, is the ballet Estancia (Ranch). It focuses on the traditions of the gauchos (shepherds and cowboys of Argentina and Uruguay).

In 1943, Ginastera compiled an orchestral dance suite from four of the ballet’s most characteristic numbers. The first, Los trabajadores agrícolas (The Land Workers), is a fast- paced dance, full of dashing accents. The second dance, Danza del trigo (Morning. Wheat Dance), is a lyrical, melodic interlude, followed by the energetic, fanfare-like, syncopated dance Los peones de hasienda (The Cattlemen). Danza final (Final Dance) is a spirited Malambo that captures the fierce dance battle between the gauchos. As the competition gets underway, the music gathers momentum, becomes more complex and leads to the explosive climactic end of the piece.

Ginastera’s expressive composition is performed by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Maestro Modestas Barkauskas.