Ginastera: Variaciones concertantes

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Carlos Surinach, born in 1915, is one of my favorite unknown composers. Although he has lived in the United States for decades, most of his music remains true to his Spanish heritage. This piece, based on the flamenco idiom, is an absolute delight, tangy music that stimulates without burning. Ginastera, not so unknown, is another favorite of mine, and this work shows his command of the orchestra and his sense of color. That leaves Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who went Hollywood in more ways than one. But I really enjoy most of this music, especially with such an excellent pianist, conductor, and orchestra at work. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

Los Trabajadores Agricolas
Danza Del Trigo
Los Peones De Hacienda
Danza Final (Malambo)
Allegro Giusto
Molto Moderato
Liberamente Capriccioso - Vivace
Obertura Para El 'Fausto' Criollo Op.9
Tema Per Violoncello Ed Arpa
Interludio Per Corde
Variazione Giocosa Per Flauto
Variazione In Modo Di Scherzo Per Clarinetto
Variazione Drammatica Per Viola
Variazione Canonica Per Oboe E Fagotto
Variazione Ritmica Per Trombe E Trombone
Variazione In Modi Di Moto Perpetuo Per Violone
Variazione Pastorale Per Corno
Interludio Per Fiati
Ripresa Dal Tema Per Contrabasso
Variazione Finale In Modo Di Rondo Per Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Ginastera's greatest hits.......2004-12-05

This is a great CD. Why? Because these are probably the Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera's four most accessible pieces, the sound is clear and cool, and Pons and his smallish orchestra play with finesse. This is, in my opinion, the best harp concerto written in the last hundred years, and the Variaciones concertantes Op. 23 is a masterpiece. You can certainly find bigger, splashier versions of the Estancia ballet suite: if that's your main interest, look for Gisele Ben-Dor's LSO version of the complete ballet (with the complete Panambi) on a hard to find Conifer CD. And Howard Hanson's old Rochester recording of the Creole Faust Overture is much more earthy. Nevertheless, Pons lays it all out beautifully before us, and avoids the slow tempi that characterize some of his other performances (the Bizet Symphony, for instance). Make no mistake, this is music to be savoured.

Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes Op23; Glosses Op48

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The Argentina-Catalonia Connection
A Definitive Recording?

Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes Op23; Glosses Op48

Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001SFI
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Glosses On Themes Of Pablo Casals For Orchestra, Opus 48: Introducio
Glosses On Themes Of Pablo Casals For Orchestra, Opus 48: Romanc
Glosses On Themes Of Pablo Casals For Orchestra, Opus 48: Sardanes
Glosses On Themes Of Pablo Casals For Orchestra, Opus 48: Cant
Glosses On Themes Of Pablo Casals For Orchestra, Opus 48: Conclusio delirant
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Tema per Violoncello ed Arpa
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Interludio per Corde
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione giocosa per Flauto
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione in modo di Scherzo per Clarinetto
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione drammatica per Viola
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione canonica per Oboe e Fagotto
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione ritmica per tromba e trombone
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione in modo di Moto perpetuo per Violino
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione pastorale per Corno
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Interludio per Fiatti
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Ripresa dal Tema per Contrabasso
Variaciones Concertantes, Opus 23: Variazione finale in modo di Rondo per Orchestra
Glosses on Themes of Pablo Casals For String Orchestra and String Quintet, Opus 46: Introducio
Glosses on Themes of Pablo Casals For String Orchestra and String Quintet, Opus 46: Romanc
Glosses on Themes of Pablo Casals For String Orchestra and String Quintet, Opus 46: Sardanes
Glosses on Themes of Pablo Casals For String Orchestra and String Quintet, Opus 46: Cant
Glosses on Themes of Pablo Casals For String Orchestra and String Quintet, Opus 46: Conclusio delirant

Customer Reviews:

The Argentina-Catalonia Connection.......2003-02-02

This CD features some of Ginastera's very best
orchestral music in excellent performances. The solos
in the variations, highlighting a number of orchestral instruments, and the string solos in the chamber orchestra version of the Glosses on Casals Themes are wonderful. The chamber version of "Song of the Birds," with cello soloist Tim Hugh, is one for all time. Song of the Birds, based on a Catalan folk tune, was Pablo Casals's cello hymn to world peace, which he himself played at the UN in 1971 (when he was 95!).
Ginastera's Glosses were composed to honor the centennial of
Casals's birth. So this CD is a great introduction to the music of both artists.

A Definitive Recording?.......2002-01-28

Quite possibly one of the most difficult works for chamber orchestra, Variaciones Concertantes has seen little time in the recording studio. Now this effort, with Gisele Ben-Dor on the podium, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra performing, brings the sensuous sounds of Argentina to life. The soloists on each virtuosic movement really shine, with the possible exception of the clarinetist, who chickens out and plays one section of the solo in the incorrect octave. Otherwise, the strings are warm and clear, and the winds full of vitality. Also check out the two versions of Glosses on themes of Pablo Casals. Masterful work.

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Orchestra Excerpts for Viola

Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Orchestral Excerpts for Viola, with written and spoken commentary
Orchestral Excerpts for Cello
Orchestral Excerpts for Violin
William Primrose: Viola Transcriptions
Romances & Elegies for Viola & Piano

ASIN: B0000038L5
Release Date: 1998-01-27

Tracks:

Intro
Don Quixote
Hary Janos
Concert Variations
Daphnis et Chloe, Ste No. 2
Midsummer Nights Dream
Peter Grimes
Tchaikovsky: Sym No. 6
Sym No. 5
Roman Carnival Ov
Don Juan
Tallis Variations
Sym No. 35
Sym No. 4
Haydn Vars
Sym No. 10
Peer Gynt
Sym No. 5
Mother Goose
Romanian Rhap No. 1
Romanian Rhap No. 2

Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes; Piano Concerto No. 1

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poorly peformed

Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes; Piano Concerto No. 1

Manufacturer: Arte Nova Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Ginastera: String Quartets 1 & 2
Golijov: Yiddishbbuk

ASIN: B000EQ5PO6
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Album Description

Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) is recognized today as the most important 20th century composer from Argentina. Influenced early by Bartók and Stravinsky, he rejected the use of electronically produced music; rather, he relied on the instruments of South American folk music to expand the expressive language of his operas, ballets, film music, and chamber & piano works. His Piano Concerto No. 1, written in 1961, had a tremendous success worldwide and remains one of his best-known works. Pianist Martha Noguera was born in Buenos Aires, and is currently resident in Rome. Her repertoire is considerable, and includes contemporary as well as classical works.

Customer Reviews:

poorly peformed.......2007-02-25

The Variaciones Concertante is an amazing piece where each variation shows off a different instrument or section. It is a piece for virtuoso orchestra, and this orchestra isn't even close.

The clarinet varaition is well known for it's difficulty, and the piece shouldn't be performed (or recorded) without an amazing player. This recording tries to get around this by performing that variation at a tempo that is way too slow (and not what the composer intended). It is a disgrace, taking all the life out of the music. Also, the high passage is taken down an octave. Why would anyone think that is acceptable?

There are obvious French Horn clams, and while other variations have all the right notes, the players play timidly in order to get the notes, but without any musicality.

Run away from this recording. Not even worth it at a budget price.

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Two Delightful 'Light' Piano Concertos & A Modern Classic

Ginastera: Variaciones concertantes
Ginastera , Tedesco , Rodriguez , and Manahan
Manufacturer: Elan Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001A5G
Release Date: 1994-12-21

Tracks:

Pno Con No.1 in G, Op.46: I. Allegro Giusto - Santiago Rodriguez
Pno Con No.1 in G, Op.46: II. Andantino, Alla Romanza - Santiago Rodriguez
Pno Con No.1 in G, Op.46: III. Vivo E Festoso - Santiago Rodriguez
Concertino: I. Allegro - Santiago Rodriguez
Concertino: II. Andante - Santiago Rodriguez
Concertino: III. Vivace - Santiago Rodriguez
Vars And Conc: Tema - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Interlude - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Var Giocosa - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Var In Modo De Scherzo - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Var Dramatica - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Var Carnonica - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Var Ritmica - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Var In Modo di Moto Perpetuo - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Var Pastorale - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Vars And Conc: Interludio - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Represa Dal Tema - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan
Var Finale In Modo Rondo - Richmond Sinf/George Manahan

Amazon.com

Carlos Surinach, born in 1915, is one of my favorite unknown composers. Although he has lived in the United States for decades, most of his music remains true to his Spanish heritage. This piece, based on the flamenco idiom, is an absolute delight, tangy music that stimulates without burning. Ginastera, not so unknown, is another favorite of mine, and this work shows his command of the orchestra and his sense of color. That leaves Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who went Hollywood in more ways than one. But I really enjoy most of this music, especially with such an excellent pianist, conductor, and orchestra at work. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Two Delightful 'Light' Piano Concertos & A Modern Classic.......2004-02-01

This CD has been one of my favorites ever since it came out in 1994. It features bang-up performances of two 'light' piano concertos which unaccountably are rarely played in concert series. The classic referred to in the title is the 'Variaciones Concertantes' by Albert Ginastera (1916-1983). Santiago Rodriguez is a fabulous pianist, a silver medal winner in the 1981 Van Cliburn Competition and whom I heard play many times when he was teaching in my part of the country. I've never understood why has not had the career of a major virtuoso. He has made one of my favorite recordings of the Rachmaninov Third Piano Concerto with a Bulgarian orchestra also on this label; in fact, the Élan label was, if I'm not mistaken, started by Rodriguez himself. At any rate, his performances of these two current concerti are marked by, no pun intended, élan and brio, which is precisely what they require.

The Concerto in G by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) is his second concerto. In the usual three movements, it is filled with marvelous tunes, exciting fingerwork in the outer movements, and the middle movement is a melting love-song that is aptly subtitled 'all romanza.' There are Italianate melodic contours throughout, although they are, as often with this composer, tinged with Spanish inflections.

Carlos Surinach (1915-1997) was a Catalan trained in Barcelona and Germany. His 'Concertino for Piano, Strings and Cymbals' (how's that for an odd instumentation?; several types of cymbals are used, giving the piece an exotic flavor) is a three-movement, 16-minute work which sometimes reminds me of Falla's 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain.' All the Spanish melodic and rhythmic turns are there, as well as the faintly Moorish tinge from the cymbals and occasional melismatic turns of melody. This piece does not aim for a big splash, but rather does what it sets out to do, entertain and intrigue with its neoclassic, Stravinskian effects.

Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) was undoubtedly Argentina's most famous composer of the modern era, and with good reason. 'Variaciones Concertantes' is a 25-minute set of variations on a subtle and memorable theme initially played tenderly by harp and cello. We get the expected Argentinean rhythms and melodies, but as reflected through the prism of Ginastera's mastery of modern orchestral technique. There is a violin mini-concerto in the 'variazione in modo di Moto perpetuo.' Although a completely tonal work, there are nonetheless moments of harmonic indecision that somehow give this 1953 work an enduring modern sheen. It has, of course, become a staple in the orchestral repertoire. It must be said that the Richmond Sinfonia does a first-rate job; their performance is entirely comparable to recordings of the piece by the London Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic. The conductor in all three pieces is George Manahan. He has since this recording become music director of the New York City Opera, after having conducted its touring company for several years; he is a first-rate musician.

Recommended.

Tracks:

Ov: Il Guarany
Huapango
Bachianas Brasileiras No.2: The Song Of The Countryman
Bachianas Brasileiras No.2: The Song Of Our Country
Bachianas Brasileiras No.2: Memory Of Desert
Bachianas Brasileiras No.2: The Little Train Of The Brazilian Countryman
Vars Concs: Theme
Vars Concs: Interlude
Vars Concs: Humourous Var
Vars Concs: Scherzo Var
Vars Concs: Dramatic Var
Vars Concs: Canonic Var
Vars Concs: Rhythmic Var
Vars Concs: Perpetual Motion Var
Vars Concs: Pastoral Var
Vars Concs: Interlude
Vars Concs: Reprise Of Theme
Vars Concs: Final Rondo Var

Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes Op23; Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No2

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Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes Op23; Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No2

Manufacturer: Tring
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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