Luis Gianneo - Complete Works for String Quartet Vol.1

LUIS GIANNEO (1897-1968): 

Complete Works for String Quartet, Vol. 1

Cuarteto Criollo (1936)

String Quartet No. 3 (1952)

Tres piezas criollas (1923-1928)

Cuarteto Gianneo



Gianneo’s quartets are firmly based in Argentinian folk music tradition, as the titles of two of the works will immediately indicate. The first quartet (1936) even has an extended third movement “Coplas” - a versifiying form of popular song - which concretizes the popular element which is plainly evident in its other movements as well. Even earlier are the Creole Pieces of 1923-28: Lamento quichua, Triste and Criolla while the 1952 third quartet assimilates its folk influences somewhat more with existing European 20th century musical language.

Cuarteto Gianneo.

Luis Gianneo

(1897 - 1968)

 Luis Gianneo belongs to a generation of musicians that led a stage of unique importance in Argentine music. They produced the opening towards new contemporary expressions and showed new directions in musical expression.

He was a member of the renowned Grupo Renovación and during his stay in Tucumán, developed an intense career as teacher, orchestra conductor, pianist and promoter of cultural activities. Once in Buenos Aires, he continued developing these activities, as a professor at the National Conservatory of Music (where he was also a dean), at the Provincial Conservatory of La Plata and at the Faculty of Musical Sciences and at the Universidad Católica Argentina/ Argentine Catholic University. He was a restless promoter of Juvenile Orchestras and generated a space for the creation of the Juvenile Orchestra of Radio El Mundo and the Juvenile Orchestra of Radio Nacional.

As a composer, his work sustains an evolving line that develops from nationalism, expressed by means of a personal language, going past neoclassicism until adopting dodecaphonic technique, sustaining through these composing styles a clearly identifiable personality and character.

Among his numerous production we can outstand, “El Tarco en Flor”, “Sinfonietta a Haydn”, “Sinfonía Antífona”, “Concierto para violín Aymará”, his string quartets and “Angor Dei”.

The Gianneo String Quartet

Gianneo String Quartet is conformed by Sebastián Masci and Nicolás Favero Urbiztondo in violins, Elizabeth Ridolfi in viola and Matías Villafañe in violoncello. It was created in 2000 under this name and registered at the “Asociación Argentina de Compositores” /Argentine Society of Composers. Since then, they have been developing an arduous activity within the frame of chamber music, interpreting essentially repertory by Argentinean composers, with the objective of rescuing and promoting works by the most outstanding local composers. Besides, they explore the international repertory, specially devoting to the interpretation and diffusion of little known works and composers.

Gianneo String Quartet members hold hierarchical positions in the most relevant orchestras of Argentina. At the same time they develop an important activity as soloists and as such, they have received several national and international awards and recognitions.

Gianneo String Quartet has performed the première of numerous Argentine works; they have interpreted a vast repertory by Argentinean composers of all times. To these effects they have performed at concert cycles of the most important composer societies of Argentina such as Asociación Argentina de Compositores, Ars Contemporánea, CUDA and SADAIC.

Gianneo String Quartet has made their appearance in the most important concert halls of Argentina, f.i.: Salón Dorado del Teatro Colón, Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Salón Dorado de la Casa de la Cultura, Salón Dorado de la Municipalidad de La Plata, Círcolo Italiano, Museo Metropolitano, Auditorio Dardo Rocha de La Plata, Teatro San Martín, Museo Isaac Fernández Blanco, Colegio Público de Abogados de Capital Federal, Auditorio Jorge L. Borges de la Biblioteca Nacional, AMIA, Teatro de San Nicolás y Teatro Rossini de Santa Fe among others.

Besides, they have been invited by the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Embassy of Poland to perform homage concerts to their national composers, interpreting as Latin-American première the String Quartet # 7 "Concerto de Camera" by Bohuslav Martinů, Quintet by Fèlix Dobryinski and the Argentinean premiere of the String Quartets by Karol Szymanowski.

Gianneo String Quartet has at the same time performed for the most outstanding chamber music cycles such as Música en Plural, Fundación Szterenfeld, La Scala de San Telmo and AMIA.

In 2007 they have been invited by Teatro Colón and Teatro Argentino de La Plata to participate in their respective chamber music cycles as well as by Fundación Encuentros in the 40th anniversary of its creation.

In 2007 Gianneo Quartet has been distinguished with the award “Best Chamber Music Ensemble of 2007” by the Argentine Society of Music Critics.

Within the frame of their rescue labour an especial mention has to be made on the recovery of the second and third string quartets by Gianneo, which were considered as lost and they have included in concerts; besides, some compositions for string quartet by Constantino Gaito that had been neglected and not performed for a long time.

They have recently introduced their first compact disc “Complete Works for String Quartet by Luis Gianneo” volume 1 for the recording company “Tradition”, which received excellent reviews by the specialists.