zoom_in Click to enlarge

Alberto Ginastera

▲ ▼

description Alberto Ginastera Overview

Alberto Ginastera (1916–1983) was an Argentine composer who successfully integrated gaucho and indigenous folk motifs into modernist classical music and opera. His compositional career is often divided into three periods: Objective Nationalism, Subjective Nationalism, and Neo-Expressionism. He composed three operas, including "Bomarzo" (1967), which was temporarily banned in his home country for its depiction of dark psychological themes. Ginastera also wrote several instrumental works, most notably the "Estancias" ballet suite and his Piano Sonatas.

help Alberto Ginastera FAQ

What are Ginastera's three compositional periods?

Ginastera described an "objective nationalism" using recognizable Argentine materials, a more abstract "subjective nationalism," and a later "neo-expressionist" period. The labels trace his movement from explicit folk references toward increasingly modernist procedures.

What is the malambo rhythm in Ginastera's music?

The malambo is a fast, forceful Argentine gaucho dance traditionally associated with male solo dancing and rhythmic footwork. Ginastera used its driving repeated rhythms in works including Estancia.

Why is Ginastera's Estancia compared with Copland's ballets?

Estancia and Aaron Copland's cowboy ballets both turn rural national imagery into energetic orchestral music. Ginastera's ballet is specifically rooted in the Argentine pampas and the gaucho world described in José Hernández's Martín Fierro.

Why was Ginastera's opera Bomarzo controversial?

Bomarzo presents sexuality, violence, and the tormented life of the Renaissance nobleman Pier Francesco Orsini in an uncompromising modernist style. Argentine authorities banned a planned Buenos Aires production in the 1960s after the opera's Washington premiere.