ginastera

GINASTERA PROJECT

gabriela lena frank, pianist/composer

katri ervamaa, cello

the program

"music of alberto ginastera"

pampeana no.2 for piano and cello

punena no.2 for solo cello

pianosonatas nos.2 and 3

sonata for cello and piano

the proposal

Argentinian-born composer Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) has long established himself as one of the most important composers to have emerged from Latin America. A distinctly fiery and original creative figure, he has been one of the major contributors to the twentieth century western canon, achieving a unique mix of folk music from his native country with more classical strains.

A look at the duo and solo output for the violoncello and piano will reveal how Ginastera favored these instruments throughout his compositional output, customarily divided into roughly four divisions: an early intensely nationalistic period in which he incorporated the folk-songs and rhythms of his country, a middle period in which his nationalism is less explicit, and a third period which Ginastera termed "neo expressionistic" in which he experimented with 12-tone method, polytonality and microtonal music. The fourth period, in which he was working at the time of his death, is marked by a synthesis of these elements and a return to earlier tonal tendencies.

In a series of lecture-recitals, we propose to illuminate these four periods of Ginastera's artistic life by illustrating our performances with explanations of the folk styles emulated and the historical/political contexts for each piece. In this way,it is our hope to vividly introduce and/or reinforce to audiences the creative vision of one of the most important non-western composers of the classical canon.

the program notes

Ginastera's oeuvre falls into roughly four divisions: an early intensely nationalistic period in which he incorporated the folk-songs and rhythms of his country, a middle period in which his nationalism is less explicit, and a third period which Ginastera termed "neo-expressionistic" in which he experimented with 12-tone method, polytonality and microtonal music. The fourth period, in which he was working at the time of his death, is marked by a synthesis of these elements and a return to earlier tonal tendencies.

A look at the duo and solo output for the violoncello and piano will reveal how Ginastera favored these instruments throughout all of his compositional styles. Pampeana No. 2, Op. 21 was composed in 1950 for the award concert of the Wagnerian Association of Buenos Aires, and was won by his future wife, Aurora Natola. This work is written in the form a rhapsody and, without using any folkloric themes, recalls the rhythms and melodies of the Argentine pampas, the great plains roamed by the gauchos, the romanticized Argentinian cowboys. The Piano Sonatas No. 2 and No. 3, the last two pieces composed by Ginastera, was premiered at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan and suggests the music of the northern part of Argentina. In this region, Indians of the mountainous Andean culture still thrive, and the pentatonic scales, rhythms, and mellismatic microtonal ornaments can be heard in the works. The Punena, a work for solo violoncello also suggests music from this region, known as La Puna, and is a virtuoso tour de force of special effects as well as haunting melodies. Finally, the Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, which was written in 1978 for his then wife Aurora Natola, is a work that Ginastera described as "logical, yet obsessive." A gentle, mysterious sectioninterrupts the storm in the first movement with guitar-like chords on the piano arpeggiated by the cello. The second movement is a Cantilena that develops between the two instruments in a series of tensions and relaxations ending in a compelling atmosphere. The third movement uses the mirror technique -- from the middle, the music unfolds backwards -- creating an alluring effect. The last movement is impetuous and fiery and the theme of the Karnavalito -- dance of Kechua origin -- appears in it.

performer bios

gabriela lena frank

Praised by the Raleigh-Durham Spectator as a "splendidly realized pianist," by the Washington Post as a composer of "unself-conscious mastery," and by the Albany Times Union as an artist of "high inspiration," Gabriela Lena Frank's musicianship has brought her increasing attention from press and audiences alike. Her fusion of Latin American folk music with classical strains has been received with acclaim in concert venues across North and South America, including guest appearances with such notable groups as the Illinois Symphony, the Dogs of Desire, the Mallarme Chamber Players, and ModernWorks of New York city. Ms. Frank's current projects include music for the Albany Symphony, the Eleventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Musicorda Summer Music Festival, the Chiara Quartet, Musica Auralis, as well as numerous other chamber ensembles and individual performers. She has been recognized with awards and commissions from ASCAP, the Theodore Presser Music Foundation, the Society of Composers Inc., the National Federation of Music Clubs, The California Association of Music Teachers, the International Alliance of Women in Music, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the International Music Council of the UNESCO, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the MacDowell Colony.

In addition to presenting concerts, Ms. Frank enjoys talking with a wide variety of audiences on both contemporary and Hispanic music, including HASTA (Hispanic Americans Striving Towards Achievement), a Latino prison group at the Gus Harrison Correctional Facilities outside of Detroit, Michigan, where she is a regular volunteer. Currently, she is in the process of recording a CD entitled Compadrazgo of classical Hispanic composers influenced by the music of the Quechua/Aymara Indians of the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes. In the Summer of 2001, she will record the complete piano music of Pulitzer Prize winnning composer Leslie Bassett.

Born in Berkeley, CA in 1972, Ms. Frank holds degrees from Rice University and is presently a doctoral candidate a the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where her teachers for composition have included William Albright, Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom, Evan Chambers, and Michael Daugherty. Her piano studies are with Logan Skelton.

katri ervamaa

Cellist Katri Ervamaa, who recently received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan, has performed widely in the US, as well as in her native Finland and throughout Europe. As the member of the Owla String Quartet, Katri has appeared on Bowdoin, Soundfest, Orlando, Norrtälje, Lyckå, Haute Limousine and Kuhmo Festivals, as well as in recitals in Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Sweden, Taiwan and the US. She is also a member of Brave New Works, a group dedicated to the performance and promotion of new music and Timescape, a nine-member free improvising group. In addition to the D.M.A, Katri holds B.M and M.M degrees from the Northern Illinois University. Her primary teachers include Erling Blondal-Bengtsson, Marc Johnson, Kazimierz Michalik and Lauri Laitinen, as well as Andrew Jennings and the Vermeer, Borodin and Colorado Quartets. She teaches cello and chamber music at the Flint Institute's School of the Performing Arts and the School for the Performing Arts &endash; Ann Arbor.