Born: 1916, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died: 1983, Geneva, Switzerland

“To compose, in my opinion, is to create an architecture, to formulate an order and set in values certain structures, considering the totality of its components. In music, this architecture unfolds in time… When time has passed, when the work has unfolded, a sense of inner perfection survives in the spirit.”

Ginastera composed brilliantly in most genres – concertos, songs, string quartets, piano sonatas, and a number of film scores – but he is best known for his early ballets Panambí and Estancia and the operas Don Rodrigo, Bomarzo, and Beatrix Cenci. Argentine folk songs and dances inspired and informed much of his music, whether in direct reference or in stylistic allusion. Later in his career he began to incorporate 12-tone techniques and avant-garde procedures into his music, ultimately reaching a synthesis of traditional and post-serial elements.

Further listening:
Panambí (ballet, 1936); Harp Concerto (1956)
Isabelle Moretti; Lyon National Orchestra,
David Robertson (Naïve)

Guitar Sonata (1976, rev. 1981)
David Leisner (Azica)

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