It is often said that Argentines are Italians who speak Spanish, think they're British, but wish they were French. Argentinian concert music has quite a mixture of influences that coalesce in a distinctive blend. Looking into the near past shows that Argentine musical nationalism remained solid throughout the twentieth century, even when facing the powerful forces of modernism.
The history of Argentinian musical folklore can be divided into two main streams: the Universal and the National. While most of Argentina's European population originated in Italy and Spain, its music shows great influences from both the French and Italian traditions.
Recent generations of composers looked for universal sources of inspiration and the modern age brought many different styles and approaches. In 1925, just after the revolution, the Argentinian Opera and the Philharmonic Orchestra, two of the main institutions were established.
Our program presents several of the leading Argentinian composers of Argentina active during the last century. Their music has had a widespread impact and popularity, from Guastavino's bittersweet and romantic music to Ginastera's modern and powerful language. They both combined Argentinian folkloric elements in their expressive and personal musical languages. Both Ginastera and Piazzolla created a great deal of chamber music. We perform some in its original setting and. some in a special Piano Trio arrangement. To this Argentinian music collection, we have added a romantic trio by Joaquin Turina, which adds a Spanish-French touch.
This program was performed on many stages around Israel at the 2013-2014 concert season.
