Danzas Argentinas

Alberto Ginastera’s three Danzas Argentinas are colouristic piano miniatures that celebrate the world of the gauchos, or South American cowboys, by blending folkloristic sounds with assorted contemporary techniques. Ginastera composed the dances in 1937 while still a student at the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires. The 20-year-old composer was following in the tradition of Bartók, drawing on folk traditions while spicing his music with dissonances and pungent effects. The first dance, “Danza del viejo boyero” (“Dance of the Old Herdsman”), is based on a malambo rhythm and features a bitonal clash: the left hand plays only black notes, while the right plays only white notes. In the “Danza de la moza donosa” (“Dance of the Graceful Girl”), languorous dance rhythms in 6/8 time frame a more impassioned middle section. The driving third number, “Danza del gaucho matrero” (“Dance of the Outlaw Cowboy”), is speckled with harmonic clashes and dramatic glissandos, and contains indications to play “furiously,” “biting” and “wild.”