# B.D. rd 2- Ginastera



## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

First of all, thanks for all who allowed me to continue this journey. We've been asked to discuss some of our works in this segment. With the knowledge that time is of the essence, I'd like to talk about works that will not take up too much of the panel's time. [Insert sidelong glance at the 'symphonists', here.]

Allow me to begin with the _Harp Concerto_. Others have remarked that it is, by acclamation, the most famous work of its kind in the last 100+ years. this work was completed in 1956, but was unheard until that forward-thinking city of Philadelphia premiered the piece in 1965, under the baton of Eugene Ormandy. In order to allow the Harp to sing where necessary, the _Concerto_ was scored for Chamber-Orchestra-like instrumentation- with the exception of the percussion-battery deployed to insure the requisite rhythmic backbone. A common mistake in performance is to not scale down the number of strings in accordance with my performance wishes.

Showing collaborative musical judgement similar to Mendelssohn's work with Ferdinand David (if it was good enough for Felix...), I consulted closely with the Europe's most famous Harpist of the era, Nicanor Zabaleta. After a bold and forceful first-movement introduction (_Allegro giusto_), the second movement settles into a mellower _Molto Moderato_. My music is compared frequently to Bartók- and this is possibly my most Bartókian construct. If the work can be said to have a "signature passage" it would be the bridging cadenza linking the second and third movements. The final section is a return to energy, but this time more rhapsodic in nature (_Liberamente Capriccioso - Vivace_).

Looking back, I suppose I harbor some secret pleasure that some of the unconventional percussion passages (including a 5 measure span in 3 different time signatures, with the middle signature being 7/8) are used to some extent as audition-pieces for professional percussionists. This, too, is another challenge in performance, as the presence of the pulses shouldn't obscure the audibility of the Harp. Any untrained passer-by can get sound out of untuned percussion, better performers can get excellent rhythm out of percussion... but here, I need _music_ from the percussion-battery!

The second work I'd like to bring up are the Dances from _Estancia_, submitted for your consideration not only because they're the easiest to come by, but also because they will take up about 12 minutes of your time. The original motivation for the work was the Jóse Hernandez poem _Martin Fierro_- but I chose to move the plot away from over-introspection with the insertion of a love-tale about a big-city guy demonstrating his worthiness for the love of a country-girl, not only through his feelings, but also through showing that he was equal to the demands of (apologies to Theodore Roosevelt) the strenuous life.

The opening dance, _Los Trabajadores Agrícolas_ (The Field Workers, or The Land Workers) starts with aggression and rhythmic propulsion. The second dance (and my medium's personal favorite) _Danza del Trigo_ (The Wheat Dance) is an example of pacing that I consider more organic than dramatic. An analog to its impact can be found in Holst's _The Planets_, the way _Venus- The Bringer of Peace_ follows immediately after _Mars- The Bringer of War_. The similarities of dynamics between _Trigo_ and Satie's _Gymnopedie #3_ were mentioned in the earlier thread- but please don't forget that it fits most relevantly in the context of the ballet.

Another forceful statement follows with the syncopated, declamatory _Los Peones de Hacienda_ (The Cattle Men). Then, less than 2 minutes later, the pulse quickens with the _Danza Final- Malambo_, an accelerating _zapateo_ taking the form of a 'contest-dance' with the winner being the one still stamping after all others have ceased on account of exhaustion!

Please give these works a hearing- and allow me to return to speak further... _Alberto Ginastera_


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Thanks for this enlightening insight into your works, Sir.
FC


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

I do admire that Harp Concerto.

GM


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

IMHO, his violin concerto is one of the nasties I ever heard.


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