Alberto Ginastera

• Leading Argentinian composer of the 20th century
• Came to international attention in the 1940s with two ballet scores, Panambí and Estancia, employing a nationalist, folklore-influenced style
• In the early 1950s, more explicitly modernist characteristics became more pronounced in what Ginastera called his ‘neo-expressionistic period’. Late 1950s and 60s saw series of major US premieres, including Piano Concerto No.1 (Washington), Violin Concerto (New York Philharmonic/Bernstein), Harp Concerto (Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy) and Don Rodrigo (New York City Opera)
• Late works, in which folk influences are fully subsumed into a rich and multi-colored modern idiom, include opera Beatrix Cenci, Glosses for orchestra, Piano Concerto No.2 and two cello concertos

Works by Alberto Ginastera include:
Dances from Estancia (1941) for orchestra
Variaciones concertantes (1953) for chamber orchestra
Bomarzo (1966-67) Opera in two acts
Popul Vuh [The Creation of the Maya World] (1975-83) for orchestra

Looking Ahead: The LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel open their season with Estancia at Disney Hall (Oct 1) and Carnegie Hall (Oct 8)

"To compose, in my opinion, is to create an architecture... In music, this architecture unfolds in time... When time has past, when the work has unfolded, a sense of inner perfection survives in the spirit. Only then can one say that the composer has succeeded in creating that architecture." — Alberto Ginastera