Alberto Ginastera - Complete Piano Chamber Music, Vol. 2 (Alberto Portugheis)

Information

Composer: Alberto Ginastera

• (01) Piezas infantiles
• (09) Milonga (from Dos canciones, Op. 3)
• (10) Tres piezas, Op. 6
• (13) Malambo, Op. 7
• (14) Suite de danzas criollas, Op. 15
• (19) Rondó sobre temas infantiles argentinos, Op. 19
• (20) Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 53
• (23) Toccata (after Domenico Zipoli)
• (24) Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 55

Alberto Portugheis, piano

Date: 1993

Label: ASV

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Review

Born in 1916, Ginastera was an important figure of his generation in Latin American music, and a pioneer whose later work was sometimes serial, although emotionally nearer Mediterranean verismo than Viennese expressionism. As a youth, he became an expert pianist, and his output of piano music is substantial. However, it is not well represented in the catalogue, so that this recital by a compatriot—one of four devoted to the composer—is useful.

The music ranges in date over half a century, beginning with the Piezas Infantiles of 1934 and ending with the Third Piano Sonata written in 1982, a year before the composer's death, and the style is accordingly varied. Indeed, the Piezas are in an approachable idiom which may owe something to Debussy's Children's Corner. The crunchy writing in ''Little Soldiers'' is, however, typical Ginastera, and so are the consecutive sevenths in the ''Lullaby'' and the toccata-like figuration plus bitonality of the final, oddly named ''Arroz con leche'' (''Rice Pudding''). These well-written, characterful and tuneful pieces deserve to be better known to teachers.

While Ginastera's nationality comes across here, it is stronger still in pieces which have dance elements; the two sonatas, however, are more cosmopolitan in feeling and feature Ginastera's own kind of acceptable aggression, expressed in jagged rhythms and a high level of dissonance. Alberto Portugheis brings understanding to all this music, and although the recording gives some rough-ness to the piano tone, that suits much of it. This disc will reward purchasers seeking something worthwhile and not already over-represented in the catalogue.

-- Christopher Headington, Gramophone

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Alberto Ginastera (April 11, 1916 – June 25, 1983) was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Many of Ginastera's works were inspired by the Gauchesco tradition. His early nationalistic works often integrate Argentine folk themes, while works in the later periods incorporate traditional elements in increasingly abstracted forms. Ginastera held a number of teaching posts. Among his notable students were Ástor Piazzolla (who studied with him in 1941), Alcides Lanza, Waldo de los Ríos, Jacqueline Nova and Rafael Aponte-Ledée.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Ginastera

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Alberto Portugheis (born on January 1, 1941, in La Plata, Argentina) is an Argentine pianist. He studied with Vincenzo Scaramuzza (the teacher of Martha Argerich and Bruno Leonardo Gelber), before going on to the Geneva Conservatoire. After winning first prize at the Geneva Concours de Virtuosité, Portugheis embarked on an international career, visiting almost 50 countries across the world. His recordings include masterpieces from a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to contemporary. Portugheis’ annual Masterclasses at Steinway Hall attract a wealth of talent from many countries in the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Portugheis

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