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Carlos GuastavinoArgentine pianist and composer.
Date of Birth: 05.04.1912
Country:  Argentina |
Content:
- Carlos Guastavino: Argentine Pianist and Composer
- International Success
- Prolific Composer
- Guitar and Piano Masterpieces
- Ballet Divertissement
- National Influences and Rejection of Modernism
Carlos Guastavino: Argentine Pianist and Composer
Early Life and EducationCarlos Guastavino, a prominent Argentine pianist and composer, was born in Santa Fe, Argentina. He honed his musical skills studying under Atos Palma in Buenos Aires.
International Success
In the late 1940s, Guastavino embarked on a series of international tours. His "Three Argentine Romances" received their first performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Britain. His remarkable performances continued globally, including tours to the Soviet Union and China in 1956.
Prolific Composer
Guastavino's musical legacy includes over 200 compositions, primarily in the vocal realm. His songs, often based on texts by Latin American and Spanish poets such as Neruda, Mistral, and Borges, are widely admired.
Guitar and Piano Masterpieces
Beyond his vocal works, Guastavino also composed three acclaimed sonatas for guitar. His evocative "Argentine Songs" (Cantilenas Argentinas) for piano, written in the late 1950s, has become a beloved suite.
Ballet Divertissement
Guastavino's compositional versatility extended to ballet. He wrote a captivating divertissement for the Russian Ballet Monte-Carlo, which premiered at Buenos Aires' Teatro Colón during the ballet's 1942 tour.
National Influences and Rejection of Modernism
Guastavino's music draws deeply from Argentine national traditions, embracing the works of earlier composers like Aguirre and Williams. Notably, he remained aloof from the modernist currents prevalent in Argentine music, championed by Ginastera and later Kagel.
