Gaito: Piano Trio & Piano Quintet

Herrera, Agustina, Sarastro Quartett

CPO 777 514-2

We have the pianist Agustina Herrera, the composer’s great-granddaughter, to thank for calling our attention to the chamber music of Constantino Gaito. »I had barely become acquainted with the chamber compositions for piano and strings written by my great-grandfather when I felt the wish to record them in their entirety with the greatest respect, seriousness, and commitment.« Born in Buenos Aires, Constantino Gaito numbers among the most important and most interesting musical personalities of his generation. He not only is regarded as the founder of the national opera but also as the author of the first Argentine ballet and the first chamber music corresponding to the national aesthetic. His intensive, tireless, and multifaceted activity as a composer, conductor, pianist, music dramatist, and educator exercised an indisputable influence on the history of Argentine music. Apart from his String Quartet No. 2 op. 33 of 1924, he composed his instrumental music during the short span of time between 1916 and 1918. The three works recorded here attest to his firm, fluent, and inspired compositional style. Here we see that Gaito knows and understands precisely how to employ the individual instruments, how to use their expressive potential, and how to explore the essence of the poetic experience. The Sarastro Quartet proves to be Agustina Herrera’s ideal partner for this project.

CD x 1

CPO

2012-06-26

761203751426