Wonderful Piano Music from Argentina

Argentina has produced some wonderful composers, but they are not well known outside the country.  They should be.

Here are two of my favourite compositions.  You can play them for years and still discover new elements.  And they're great for the soul.

Alberto Ginestera (1916 - 1983) is/was one of Argentina's national treasures.

The Danza de la moza donosa  is one of his most haunting compositions.  One of the beauties of this music is that it places a great onus on the performer to get to the soul of the music.  The first interpretation comes from the mind of Daniel Barenboim.   The second is by Martha Agerich, a close friend of Barenboim and a frequent musical partner on stage.  Her tempo is a bit quick for my liking but the dynamics are fabulous.  Of the interpretations, the third appeals to me the most.

Danza de la moza donosa

Danza de la moza donosa

Danza de la moza donosa

And then, there's this: sublime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1PsLjSfMoE

Astor Piazzolla is better known, an exponent of the nuevo tango.  For many years, I've been fascinated by his Milonga del Angel.

This version parallels the common piano score quite closely.  Slow in tempo, the pianist extracts some true beauty and meaning.
Milonga


This version is quite wonderful - elegant yet restrained.  Many other versions are "over the the top" and do a disservice to the music.  If anything, this one is a bit long, but why not dwell a while in musical heaven?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYdZBLGO0jA

The following version misses the essence of the piece - in my opinion.  You don't have to fill space with notes.  Sometimes silence makes a very elegant statement. This said, the performer has a real connection with the piano ... the notes floating off the strings are delicious.
Milonga

The good professor was trying to replicate the sound of the orchestra and came up short ... a misapplication of the instrument.  Here's the master himself ... it's one of several performances and interpretations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z92szaC-Jds

My exploration of Argentine music continues.  One of my dreams is to take in a performance or two in the Teatro Colon, one of the best performance venues in the world.  Unfortunately it was closed when we were in Buenos Aires, the victim of a strike on the part of theatre staff.

Strikes are a regular feature of Argentine life. We also experienced a one day strike by garbage workers in BA and were lucky to have not been inconvenienced by another.

The day after we flew into Buenos Aires from the provinces, Aerolíneas Argentinas was hit by a strike.  The pilot and co-pilot were from separate unions and the co-pilot felt insulted by a comment from his seat mate during a pre-flight check.  Result = downed tools and no flights for the next few hours.  Had it been a day later, we would have been grounded as it took place on the same flight. One can only wonder what the impact (pardon the pun) would have been if the dispute had taken place while the plane was underway.