Sonata

In this substantial, four-movement work, Alberto Ginastera melded the rhythms of Argentinean folk music with avant-garde gestures and techniques. Composed in 1976 for the Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima, the Sonata is a product of what Ginastera called his “neo-expressionistic” period, in which his music acquired an international, modernist sheen. The first movement, “Esordio”, begins with a ruminative prelude, followed by a thumping melody inspired by music of the indigenous Quechua people. The effects-laden second movement, “Scherzo”, scampers with flamenco-style strumming (rasgueado), drum-like tambora and rhythms that suggest a malambo, the dance of the gauchos or South American cowboys. The movement ends with a veiled quotation of Sixtus Beckmesser’s lute theme, from Wagner’s comic opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Next, “Canto” is slow, rhapsodic and mysterious, while the “Finale” is a spirited rondeau with bold, brisk rhythms derived from Argentinean folk dances, including the malambo, chacarera and milonga.