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Ginastera, Alberto : Ballet Suit Estancia Op.8a

Work Overview

Music ID : 87006
Instrumentation:etc 
Genre:Concerto for orchestra and piano
Copyright:Under Copyright Protection

Commentary (1)

Author : Mitsuko, Kawabata

Last Updated: January 21, 2024
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Originally, it was a one-act ballet commissioned in 1941 by the American impresario Lincoln Kirstein for the American Ballet Caravan. As the ballet company disbanded, Ginastera extracted four movements from the original work and arranged them for orchestra. This suite version premiered at the Teatro Colón in 1943. The theme of this work is the romance between a young man from the city and a daughter of an estancia (large ranch). The young man falls in love with the daughter, but she does not reciprocate his feelings, as he appears inferior compared to the brave gauchos. However, in the final scene, the young man wins a malambo dance-off against the gauchos and captures the daughter's heart, which is the main outline of the plot. In the original ballet, parts of José Hernández's gaucho epic poem Martín Fierro (1872) were recited and sung, adding a sense of realism to the depiction of the rural landscape.

 

〈農園で働く人々 Los trabajadores agricolas〉

The polytonality observed from the outset and the ruggedness of the sesquialtera rhythm evoke the gauchos working on the estancia and their malambo dance. Furthermore, the accent placed on the low register of the fifth beat in 6/8 time shows a similarity to conventional malambo performance practice, adding further character to this work. It depicts gauchos appearing one after another, preparing for work on the ranch.

 

〈小麦の踊り Danza del trigo〉

This piece was positioned before 'Los trabajadores agricolas' in the original ballet, depicting a quiet morning scene before work began. The elegant rhythm of the regional dance music zamba and a part of the melody in the first half (C-A-C) show similarities to 'Danza de la moza donosa' from Danzas Argentinas. The expansive melody is impressive, as if a beautiful maiden is dancing dreamily against the backdrop of wheat fields spreading across the refreshing morning pampas.

 

〈大農園の労働者たち Los peones de hacienda〉

Work on an estancia also includes herding livestock such as cattle and horses. As indicated by 'Gallop' in the score, it is characterized by the imitation of horse hooves in the left hand and rapidly changing time signatures such as 9/8, 7/8, 5/8, and 3/4. Perhaps a gaucho on horseback is bravely chasing snorting livestock.

 

〈終幕の踊り(マランボ) Danza final (Malambo)〉

In the final movement, as the title suggests, various elements of malambo are used, such as the repetition of IV-V-I chord progressions and the sesquialtera rhythm. Passages where the same musical figure is persistently repeated are as if the young man from the city is bravely challenging the gauchos who are taking turns performing zapateo. Finally, a fanfare rings out triumphantly, announcing the joy and victory of the young man from the city who has won the daughter's heart, bringing the piece to a brilliant conclusion.

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