Alberto Ginastera on Music Theory Print

Beatrix Cenci

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Roles#

Beatrix Cenci (soprano)
Count Francesco Cenci, father to Beatrix (baritone)
Lucrecia Cenci, stepmother to Beatrix (mezzo-soprano)
Bernardo Cenci, brother to Beatrix (soprano, ‘pants’ role)
Giacomo Cenci, brother to Beatrix (baritone)
Orsino, a prelate (tenor)
Andrea, servant to the Count (bass)
Olimpio, an assassin (speaking role)
Marzio, an assassin (speaking role)
A guard (bass)
First guest (tenor)
Second guest (tenor)
Third guest (bass)

Synopsis#

The opera is in two acts and 14 scenes. The setting is the Cenci Palace, Rome, in the late 16th century. Count Francesco Cenci has arranged for a masked ball to celebrate the death of his two sons at Salamanca. The people despise the Count, and his daughter Beatrix and his second wife Lucrecia live in fear of him. Beatrix wants to escape by having her former suitor, Orsino, communicate a letter to the Pope. Orsino, who has taken Holy Orders, destroys the letter. At the ball, the guests are repelled at the idea of the Count celebrating the deaths of his own sons. They leave, to the terror of Beatrix, who does not want to be alone in her father’s company. Orsino enters and covers his destruction of Beatrix’s letter by saying that the Pope has rejected her plea. Left alone, the Count rapes Beatrix. When in exile after reporting her father’s act, Beatrix’s older brother Giacomo convinces Beatrix to kill her father. She then hires two assassins for the task, Olimpio and Marzio. Lucrecia gives Cenci a sleeping potion. The assassins kill the Count and conceal his body. Months later, Orsino announces that the Count’s body has been discovered. One of the assassins has been killed, and the other has confessed to the murder. Beatrix is arrested for the crime, and then bound and tortured. Finally, she is executed at the scaffold.

Bomarzo (opera)

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Productions#

The opera had its world premiere at the Opera Society of Washington, Washington D.C., on 19 May 1967. The same production was first given at New York City Opera on 14 March 1968. The work had been scheduled for its first performance in Argentina on 4 August 1967 at the Teatro Colón, but the Argentine de facto president, Juan Carlos Onganía, had banned the production, objecting to the sexual content of the story. The first performance in Argentina did not occur until 1972, with the composer in attendance. The first UK production was by the English National Opera on 3 November 1976, in an English translation by Lionel Salter. The first production in Spain was at the Teatro Real, Madrid, on 24 April 2017 with John Daszak in the title role. This staging was planned as a joint production by Pierre Audi with the Dutch National Opera, but was never performed in Amsterdam.

Cinco canciones populares argentinas

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Historical background#

In Argentina, the militant revolutionary activity of the late 1930s and early 1940s solidified the power of politicians who, according to Aaron Copland, placed musical policy entirely in the hands of “a small group of conservative musicians” (Aaron Copland, “The Composers of South America,” Modern Music vol. 19 (February 1942) 77). During this period, Alberto Ginastera allied himself with Argentine intellectuals and artists in criticism of Juan Perón’s policies and signed a manifesto in defense of democratic principles and artistic freedom, for which the composer was eventually dismissed from his teaching positions at state-run institutions. In the midst of this unrest, echoing Bartók’s 1924 penning of Hungarian Folksong as “a declaration of war on the cultural policies of the Horthy regime” (Lajos Lesznai, Bartók (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1973) 120), Ginastera composed his opus 10 of 1943, Cinco canciones populares argentinas, or Five Popular Argentine Songs.

Danzas Argentinas

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Danza del viejo boyero, Op. 2 no. 1#

The first piece, Danza del viejo boyero (“Dance of the Old Herdsman”), immediately strikes the ear as being odd. The reason is as simple as it is strange: the left hand plays only black notes, while the right plays only white notes. This means it is composed of two modes (bitonality), with the right hand in C major and the left in D major. Despite the seemingly unavoidable cacophony of that arrangement, Ginastera manages to frame a simple and charming melody through the use of rhythm and texture. The piece ends with a chord (E–A–D–G–B), the notes of a guitar when tuning. As a result of the criollo influence while looking for an Argentinian language, this was one of Ginastera’s favourite chords.

Don Rodrigo

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Roles#

Don Rodrigo, King of Spain (dramatic tenor)
Don Julian, Governor of Ceuta (baritone)
Florinda, daughter of Don Julian (dramatic soprano)
Teudiseld, Don Rodrigo’s tutor (bass)
Fortuna, maidservant to Florinda (mezzo-soprano)
First maiden (soprano)
Second maiden (mezzo-soprano)
Bishop (baritone)
Blind hermit (baritone)
First page (tenor)
Second page (baritone)
First blacksmith (tenor)
Second blacksmith (baritone)
First messenger (tenor)
Second messenger (baritone)
Young messenger (contralto)
Voice in the dream (deep bass)
Peasant boy (child)
Peasant girl (child)

Synopsis#

The setting is Toledo, Spain in the 8th century. A note is that Don Rodrigo is also the Spanish name for Roderic, the last Visigothic king of Spain. The three acts of the opera are divided into nine scenes linked by interludes, with labeling of the scenes as follows: Act I * Scene 1: Victory * Scene 2: Coronation * Scene 3: Secret Act II * Scene 4: Love * Scene 5: Outrage * Scene 6: Message Act III * Scene 7: Dream * Scene 8: Battle * Scene 9: Miracle The scenes mirror each other in a format resembling a dramatic palindrome, with Scene 1 mirrored in Scene 9, Scene 2 mirrored in Scene 8, and so on, with Scene 5 forming the dramatic climax and fulcrum of the story. At the start, Don Rodrigo has avenged an attack on his father. He is then about to be crowned King of Spain. Don Julian, Governor of Ceuta in Africa, introduces the King to his daughter Florinda. Rodrigo promises Don Julian that he will look after her as a daughter if she is permitted to stay at the royal court. At the coronation of Rodrigo, Florinda drops the crown. Although some regard this accident as a baleful sign, Rodrigo then retrieves the crown and places it on his own head. Historically, a chest in the Vault of Hercules has contained a locked mystery, which every King of Spain has respected since ancient times. However, Rodrigo opens the locked chest, where he sees the secret in the form of an Arab flag and a curse. The curse states that he who has opened the chest will be the last of his dynasty and that the Arabs will enslave Spain. Later, Florinda bathes in a fountain, which Rodrigo sees. He goes to Florinda’s bedroom at night, and rapes her. Rodrigo then abandons her. Florinda writes to her father, angrily calling for revenge on Rodrigo. Don Julian raises a rebellion against Don Rodrigo. At the battle at Guadalete, Don Julian is victorious against Don Rodrigo, which allows the Moors to enter Spain, fulfilling that part of the curse. Rodrigo becomes a penniless vagrant, and eventually finds shelter with a blind hermit. Florinda eventually discovers Rodrigo there. Rodrigo confesses his sins, and finally dies in Florinda’s embrace.

Estancia (Ginastera)

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History#

Ginastera’s ballet was a commissioned project by Kirstein for the American Ballet Caravan, with choreography ostensibly provided by Russian choreographer George Balanchine. The ballet company had involved themselves in another Western-inspired ballet at the time, Copland’s Billy the Kid (1938). While on tour in Argentina with the company, Copland met Ginastera and a deep friendship ensued. Ultimately, the work was premiered. In 1952, the Colon Theater Ballet held the ballet’s official premiere, with choreography supplied by the Russian choreographer Michel Borovsky. The lead dance role was performed by Enrique Lommi who is said to have asked for simpler footwork as the orchestra had begun to drown his sounds out. In 2010, the New York City Ballet reconceptualized the work. The work was choreographed by English choreographer Christopher Wheeldon with set design by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Harp Concerto (Ginastera)

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Background#

At the time of composition in 1958, Ginastera was in a period he described as “Subjective Nationalism”, and nationalism for him meant the use and incorporation of Argentine folk elements. While the guitar is the instrument most associated with Spain, Central and South America today, it was not always so. The harp was the instrument par excellence of the Spanish Renaissance and early Baroque periods, introduced extensively to the New World by the missionaries, and folk harps remain an integral part of traditional music across Latin America. As such, Ginastera was able to incorporate elements of both traditional aesthetics and Latin American harp into his work.

Ollantay (Ginastera)

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Critical evaluation#

Guy Rickards from Gramophone describes it as a “darkly colourful and dramatic folk-triptych that could be thought of as an Argentinian Taras Bulba.” Hubert Culot from MusicWeb International considers the work as “too little known, unjustly so,” considering it “one of Ginastera’s most appealing works.”

Discography#

BBC National Orchestra of Wales – Gisele Ben-Dor (Naxos)
Louisville Orchestra – Louisville Orchestra – Jorge Mester (First Edition)
Odense Symphony – Jan Wagner (Bridge)
Poznan Philharmonic – Andrey Boreyko (Largo)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra - Juanjo Mena- Chandos Records (2015).
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz - Karl-Heinz Steffens (Capriccio)

Piano Concerto No. 1 (Ginastera)

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Music#

The concerto has a duration of roughly 25 minutes and is composed in four movements: The work is scored for a solo piano and a large orchestra consisting of two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, five percussionists, harp, celesta, and strings.

Reception#

Reviewing a 2016 performance by the pianist Sergio Tiempo and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times called the concerto “a work of brutalist, magical realism” and wrote, “There are atmospheric and percussive moments when the score sounds slightly too much like Argentine Bartók, but there are also unusual evocations of eerie rain-forest weirdness and great thundering percussive romps. The massive solo part, fearlessly played by Sergio Tiempo, ranges from hauntingly jazzy bits to great bursts of keyboard color that the Venezuelan pianist seemed born to reveal.” of The New York Times similarly remarked, “The concerto’s chugging rhythms make Ginastera’s lively atonal idiom feel accessible, understandable. Splatters of activity in the piano (…) fall over ethereal whispers in the strings.”

Piano Concerto No. 2 (Ginastera)

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Structure#

The concerto has a duration of approximately 35 minutes and is cast in four movements: The first and fourth movements of the concerto pay tribute to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin. The first movement, for example, is a set of 32 variations inspired by the seven-note chord at measure 208 of the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The number of variations itself is a nod to Beethoven, whose 32 Variations in C minor and 32 piano sonatas are among his most significant works. The movement’s 22nd variation additionally references the opening of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 26, Les Adieux. Similarly, the fourth movement was inspired by an eleven-note theme from the final movement of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2.

Popol Vuh (Ginastera)

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Background#

Popol Vuh was originally commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the conductor Eugene Ormandy in 1975. Ginastera based the music on the eponymous Mayan creation myth of the Popol Vuh. Though Ginastera had intended to write a total of eight movements for the piece, the composer died suddenly in June 1983, having completed only seven sections of the work. The Philadelphia Orchestra thus declined to premiere the unfinished composition. Ormandy himself died in 1985 and the score remained nearly forgotten among Ginastera’s papers until his friend the pianist Barbara Nissman brought it to the attention of Leonard Slatkin, then director of the St. Louis Symphony. Popol Vuh was thus given its world premiere on April 7, 1989—nearly six years after Ginastera’s death. Although it is generally agreed that the unwritten movement would have been a percussion-only finale, Slatkin speculated before the premiere that it might have been the penultimate movement and that the current finale is indeed how Ginastera intended to conclude the piece.

Sonata for guitar (Ginastera)

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Discography#

In chronological order of recording. * Heitor Villa-Lobos: 5 Preludes; 12 Études; Alberto Ginastera: Sonata. Eduardo Fernández, guitar. CD recording, 1 sound disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. Decca 414616-2; issued also on cassette, Decca 414616-4. London: Decca Record Co., 1987. *Sonatas para guitarra. Oscar Esplá: Tempo di sonata; Leo Brouwer: Sonata; William Bardwell: Sonata; Alberto Ginastera: Sonata, Op. 47. Ignacio Rodés, guitar. CD recording, 1 sound disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. Opera Tres CD1010-OPE; Opera Tres M-28552-1993. Madrid: Opera Tres, 1993. * Piano and Guitar. Alberto Ginastera: Sonata No. 1 for Piano, Op. 22 (1952); Leo Brouwer: Tres danzas concertantes (1958/59); Manuel Maria Ponce: Sonata for Guitar and Piano (1931); Alberto Ginastera: Sonata for Guitar, Op. 47 (1976). Franz Halász, guitar; Debora Halász, piano. Recorded 1994, Musikhochschule Dortmund. CD recording 1 disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. BIS-CD-671. Djursholm: Grammofon AB BIS, 1994. * Alberto Ginastera: Cantos del Tucmán; “Danza del trigo” and “Triste pampeano” (from Estancia); Guitar Sonata, Op. 47; Puneña No. 2 for solo cello, Op. 45; Duo for flute and oboe, Op. 13; Danza criolla, Op. 15, No. 1; Milonga; Impresiones de la puna. Olivia Blackburn, soprano; Anna Noakes, flute; David Emanuel and Rafael Gintoli, violins; Gillian Tingay, harp; Gary Kettel, percussion; John Anderson, oboe; Christopher van Kampen, cello; Mariá Isabel Siewers, guitar; Lyric String Quartet. Recorded 1995, Kentish Town, St. Silas Church, and 2000, Weston, Holy Trinity Church. Series: Ginastera Vol. 5. CD recording, 1 disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. ASV CD DCA 1103. London: ASV, 2001. *Johannes Tonio Kreusch Plays Villa-Lobos and Ginastera. Heitor Villa-Lobos: Etudes pour la guitarra (Paris 1928–29, manuscript version); Alberto Ginastera: Sonata for Guitar, op. 47 (Geneva 1976, manuscript version). Johannes Tonio Kreusch, guitar. Recorded 2002. CD recording 1 disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. Oehms Classics OC 241. Dittingheim : Musikproduktion Dieter Oehms, 2003. *Souvenirs. David Zipperle: Südtiroler Variationen, Nächster Halt: Basel, Sonata zingara, Lovesong; Johann Kaspar Mertz: Fantaisie hongroise, Op. 65; Peter Ratzenbeck: Odyssee; Ossy Pardeller: Rio molino; Alberto Ginastera: Sonata, Op. 47; Manuel M. Ponce: Preludio VI “Souvenir surprise”. David Zipperle, guitar. Recorded 2005, Freiburg, Studio TeFau. CD recording 1 disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. Dematon DT-05321. Lübeck: Dematon Musikproduktionen, 2005. * Esordio. Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite in E minor, for lute BWV 9969 (arr. guitar); Leo Brouwer: Berceuse, Cancion de cuna, Étude No. 14, Étude No. 17; Johann Kaspar Mertz: Liebeslied; Francisco Tárrega: Capriccho arabe; Heitor Villa-Lobos: Prelude No. 1, Homage to the Brazilian Country Dweller, Mazurka-chôro, Prelude No. 5, Homage to Social Life, and Chôro No. 1; Alberto Ginastera: Sonata for Guitar, Op. 47. David Patterson, guitar. Recorded at WGBH Studios, Boston, Mass. CD recording, 1 sound disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. T4Dragons T4D 005-01. S.l. : T4Dragons, 2005. * Guitar Recital. Matthew Dunne: Appalachian Summer; Jacques Hétu: Suite, Op. 41; Juan Manén: Fantasie-sonata, Op. A22; Joaquín Rodrigo: Tres piezas españolas; Alberto Ginastera: Sonata, Op. 47; Manuel de Falla: Homenaje (Pour Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy). Jérôme Ducharme, guitar. Recorded 16–19 March 2006, St. John Chrysostom Church, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. CD recording, 1 sound disc: digital, stereo, 4 3/4 in. Naxos 8.570189. Laureate Series: Guitar. “First prize: 2005 Guitar Foundation of America Guitar Competition.” Hong Kong : Naxos, 2006. *Chitarra giocosa. Joaquin Rodrigo: Sonata giocosa; Antonio José: Sonata; Alberto Ginastera: Sonata, Op. 47; Jerzy Bauer: Concerto for guitar and chamber orchestra. Marcin Dylla, guitar. Recorded July 2005 in Germany. CD recording, 1 sound disc: digital, stereo, 4¾ in. Fleur de Son Classics FDS 57979. Buffalo, N.Y.: Fleur de Son Classics, 2006. *Carlos Barbosa-Lima, guitar Concord CCD-42015 *Simmetrie e Contrasti nel Novecento, Lennox Berkeley: Quatres Pieces pour la guitare; Frank Martin: Quatres Pièces breves; A. José: Sonata; Alberto Ginastera: Sonata. Simone Rinaldo, guitar. Recorded November 2017. DotGuitar, Winner Series.