Alberto Ginastera's three string quartets are appealing pieces that concisely reflect the various styles that characterized the composer's work over the course of his career. The First Quartet was written in 1948, and the Second in 1958, both during his so-called middle period, which was characterized by a sophisticated modernist take on the folk-like music of his first period, before he moved to a more rigorous serialism in his third period. Ginastera's relationship with folk traditions during this period was roughly ...
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Alberto Ginastera's three string quartets are appealing pieces that concisely reflect the various styles that characterized the composer's work over the course of his career. The First Quartet was written in 1948, and the Second in 1958, both during his so-called middle period, which was characterized by a sophisticated modernist take on the folk-like music of his first period, before he moved to a more rigorous serialism in his third period. Ginastera's relationship with folk traditions during this period was roughly analogous with Bartók's, and some of the movements have a distinctly Bartókian sound. The rhythmic drive of the fast movements, in particular, is rooted in popular Argentine music, while the slow movements have a tendency toward mystical, sometimes rhapsodic, lyricism. These are immensely attractive pieces, clearly the work of an exceptionally fertile and imaginative creative mind and should appeal to fans of mid-twentieth century modernism. The Third Quartet is serial and inhabits a more...
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