"I bought this CD mostly because I wanted a good recording of the first Piano Sonata. I was disappointed. Portugheis seems to have misunderstood what Ginastera's music is all about-rhythmic vitality. In most of Ginastera's music, rhythmic drive is of primary importance and pitch (though still important) is secondary. Portugheis romanticizes the heck out of it. Often, the rhythms he plays are the result of technical (as opposed to musical) rubato, i.e. he doesn't have the technical command to play the damn thing. He stumbles through almost the entire piece. He turns 5/8 measures in 6/8's. A strict tempo rarely exists for long. When the rhythmic vitality is lost, the energy of the piece goes down the drain. If you want to hear a guy play Ginastera well, Santiago Rodriguez is your man. His level of energy will blow you away."
I agree with the other reviewers!
John Thomas | Washington, NC | 07/29/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this album along with volume 2, and I have to agree with the other reviewers that it is a pretty disappointing album. I became interested in Ginastera's piano music when I heard GREAT recordings of the piano sonata no. 1 and the argentine dances. Not being a pianist myself, I still manage to notice the defectiveness in the music, mainly that it lacks the rhythmic vitality and speed that I believe the music requires to be exciting. However, I do think some of the recordings are not bad, such as the pequena danza and the american preludes. Overall, however, this isn't a great disc to buy of Ginastera. That is not to say that Portugheis is a bad pianist, I'm sure he does great with other music, just not this!"
Better than its current reputation
antongodfired | Newport Beach,Ca USA | 12/29/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Portugheis plays slower than the competition. The musical substance doesn't suffer from this,however,because of the excellent,full bodied ASV recording.Ginastera's piano music represents more than a vehicle for virtuosic display of gaucho rhythms. For this reason, I find very fast tempi(Santiago Rodriguez)less idiomatic. With the addition of the Cello sonata and the Pampeana no.2 this disc offers two gems of modern chamber music, that you certainly do not want to miss. Gorgeous cello sound and playing ! If you hesitate about this disc, buy it for these two chamber music pieces."
Yawn
afd | New England, USA | 11/07/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This Cd put me right to sleep. The pianst plays this weird rythym where he speeds up in some places and slows down in others irratically. The pianst for this album must have had trouble reading the music, because there aren't supposed to be any rests in random places. This is a fast dancing piece, hence the title: Danzas Argentinas! If you want a vison for this album, imagine a sprinter running the 400 meter dash. Suddenly the sprinter stops and walks a few paces. And then he speeds back up again, only to stop to tie his shoe. And so on. I would highly recommend another CD. Dude, Martha Argerich has an interpertation that will knock your socks off. Wahhhh!"
Versions
Fredo | Florida | 12/20/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Imagine Debussy sitting at a piano and playing the works of others, but in his style - that's what these two volumes seem like to me, and I love them for it. If you hate Debussy, then you'll hate this. If you love Debussy, you will absolutely love this set. (if you don't know who Debussy is, stop reading and go buy some his piano works immediately). I'll be the first to agree with other reviews that these are much slower (and without consistent tempo) than they were originally written, however that's what I love about it. Both volumes are phenomenal to me, because it sounds like an impressionistic version of every piece. There seems to be so much debate over what sounds exactly right, and who follows the instructions the best, etc - but personally, I've never heard these dead men play, so I can't say with any certainty what is exactly right. I like pianists who work hard to re-create the works of composers, however I equally love those who play them according to how they feel about them. This set ranks high in the latter, and I hope you won't miss the opportunity to love it as well."