Miro Quartet: Ginastera

In this program, we travel to Argentina, a country rich in history, culture, geography, gastronomy, and folklore. Alberto Ginastera was one of the 20^th century’s most important composers. Ginastera was classically trained yet drew on his homeland’s extraordinary elements for inspiration including in his three string quartets. From the first and second movements’ depictions of the fiery gauchos, displaying their prowess on horseback, to the slow movement’s depiction of a starry night, the first quartet is a tour of Ginastera’s beloved Pampas and their rich culture. For his third quartet, Ginastera drew inspiration from Arnold Schoenberg’s idea to incorporate a singer, as Schoenberg did in his second quartet from 1908. Premiered in 1974, the Ginastera quartet draws its inspiration from the work of three poets who address broad subjects such as love and war and constitutes one of the most effective and moving chamber works of our time.

PROGRAM