Ginastera: Estancia, Panambi, etc
Lyon National Orchestra/Robertson, Moretti, et al

Ginastera, Alberto : Concerto for Harp, Op. 25, Estancia, Op. 8,
Panambí, Op. 1b, Casals Paraphrases Op 4

Naïve NAI 4860

Previously released 2001, this is an attractive programme from this composer's "three periods" - objective nationalism; subjective nationalism and neo-expressionism.

My own preference was for an example of the last, seemingly, based on paraphrases of tunes by Casals (1976, though oddly numbered Op 4).

In his earlier music I tend to find his bright rhythmic Panamanian music a little relentless. But I do know that he has many devoted fans, notably the American pianist Barbara Nissman, who has recorded all of Alberto Ginastera's piano and piano/chamber works on Pierian Records.

The harpist Isabelle Moretti, who has been long associated with Ginastera's concerto, is featured in a particularly attractive cover image by Maxime Ruiz, depicted playing a "butterfly harp", reproduced on the cover of the box and, too, covering the liner notes (rather wastefully of space).

Peter Grahame Woolf