On this disc we present a veritable feast of early to mid-twentieth century orchestral music by composers from Argentina, Peru, Brazil, and Columbia. The works are all premier recordings, and brimming with Afro-Cuban and Creole folk-inspired sounds, as well as dance influences from the Argentine tango.

The highlight of the Chandos disc is a real rarity, the 1953 Sinfonietta written as a fruit of Piazzolla’s studies with Ginastera prior to his trip to Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Vigorously rhythmic (as one might expect), the three spans are dramatic, sober and jubilant by turns, even if the melodies do lack the distinctive Piazzolla sound. It’s a well-constructed work, though, and Gabriel Castagna’s account is full of verve.

Pampeana No.3 Op.24, "pastoral in three movements", which also featured in the BRIDGE record, was first performed by Robert Whitney and the Louisville Orchestra. It belongs to Ginastera’s second stylistic period, in which folk-inflected material is handled in a freer manner, in much the same way as Bartók’s so-called imaginary folklore. Bartók exerted a lasting influence on Ginastera’s mature music, e.g. in the string quartets, the piano concertos and the cello concertos.