Gerardo Gandini (

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

(Argentina), October 16, 1936 –

, March 22, 2013) was a

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, composer, and music director, who became one of the most relevant figures of contemporary Argentine music of the second half of the 20th century. He studied composition with

Goffredo Petrassi Goffredo Petrassi (16 July 1904 – 3 March 2003) was an Italian composer of modern classical music, conductor, and teacher. He is considered one of the most influential Italian composers of the twentieth century.Petrassi, Goffredo. (2008). ...

and Alberto Ginastera, and piano with Roberto Caamaño, Pía Sebastiani, and Ivonne Loriod. He was

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fro ...

's pianist in the Sexteto Nuevo Tango formed in 1989.

Biography

Gandini was a professor at the Instituto Di Tella (Buenos Aires),

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

( New York),

Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...

, Gilardo Gilardi Conservatory of Music (

La Plata, Argentina La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from ...

), and

National University of La Plata The La Plata National University ( es, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, UNLP) is one of the most important Argentine national universities and the biggest one situated in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province. It has over 90 ...

. He was also in charge of contemporary music courses at the Fundación San Telmo/ Goethe-Institut in Buenos Aires and was in charge of one of the composition workshops at the Fundación Antorchas (Argentina). Gandini has been the musical director of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, musical director of the

Teatro Colón The Teatro Colón (Spanish: ''Columbus Theatre'') is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acousti ...

, and director-founder of the Opera and Ballet Experimentation Center of the same theatre. During 2003, he was a resident composer of the Teatro Colón. He was the pianist in Sexteto Nuevo Tango,

's last sextet.

Awards

Gerardo Gandini has received numerous national and international awards: * First prize in the Freedom of Culture Conference (Rome, 1962) * Grant from the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

government (1966) * Guggenheim Fellowship (1982) * Molière Award in the music for theatre category (1977) * City Prize for Composition (Buenos Aires, 1960) * Golden Lion of the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

(1998), for the soundtrack of the film ''La nube'' he Cloudby

Fernando Solanas Fernando Ezequiel "Pino" Solanas (16 February 1936 – 6 November 2020) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and politician. His films include; '' La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Furnaces)'' (1968), '' Tangos: el exilio de Gardel'' ...

. * National Music Prize of Argentina (1996), for the opera ''La ciudad ausente'' he Absent City* Lifetime Achievement Award from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

(Argentina, 1996) *

Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The pur ...

– Honorary Mention (2005) for his fundamental contributions to popular Argentine music * VIII

Tomás Luis de Victoria Tomás Luis de Victoria (sometimes Italianised as ''da Vittoria''; ) was the most famous Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus as among the principal composers of the late Ren ...

Prize, (March 13, 2008), considered the equivalent to the

Miguel de Cervantes Prize The Miguel de Cervantes Prize ( es, Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes) is awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language. History The prize was established in 1975 ...

for classical music. * Platinum

(2009) for Best classical music composer of the decade in Argentina Gandini was also regularly invited to participate as a juror in international composition contests.

Works

Operas

* ''La pasión de Buster Keaton'' he Passion of Buster Keaton(1978), libretto by

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numerou ...

: one-act chamber opera for baritone with chamber ensemble, jazz quintet, puppets, and soundtrack * ''Espejismos II (La muerte y la doncella)'' irages II (Death and the Maiden)(1987): chamber opera for two sopranos, two mezzo-sopranos, two ballet dancers, and chamber ensemble * ''La casa sin sosiego'' he Restless House(1992), libretto by

Griselda Gambaro Griselda Gambaro (born 24 July 1928) is an Argentine writer, whose novels, plays, short stories, story tales, essays and novels for teenagers often concern the political violence in her home country that would develop into the Dirty War. One recu ...

: chamber opera in six scenes for two sopranos, two mezzo-sopranos, contralto, tenor, six actors, and chamber orchestra * ''La ciudad ausente'' he Absent City(1995), libretto by

Ricardo Piglia Ricardo Piglia (November 24, 1941 in Adrogué, Argentina – January 6, 2017 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine author, critic, and scholar best known for introducing hard-boiled fiction to the Argentine public. Biography Born in Adrogué, Pigli ...

: opera in two acts * ''Liederkreis (una ópera sobre

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

)'' iederkreis (An Opera about Schumann)(2000), libretto by Alejandro Tantanian

Works for orchestra

* ''Variaciones para orquesta'' (1962), for harp, piano, percussion, timbales, celesta, xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and strings (16'). Commissioned by ESSO Argentina, City Prize for Composition of Buenos Aires, premiered by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Richard Dufallo during the Interamerican Music Festival in Washington (1965) * ''Cadencias'' (1967), for harp, piano, percussion, and strings (6'), premiered by the Academia Santa Cecilia orchestra, directed by Daniele Paris, Academia Nacional de Santa Cecilia, Rome (1967) * ''Laberynthus Johannes'' (1973), for orchestra divided in three groups: clavecin, harp, marimba, piano, xylophone, tenor saxophone, drums, percussion, and strings (15'), premiered by the Buenos Aires Philharmonic orchestra, directed by Antonio Tauriello in the

(1973) * ''Soria moria'' (1974), for string orchestra made up of four solo violins, a string quartet, and a string trio (viola, cello, and contrabass) (8'). Recorded on disc. Published by ''Melodie Zurich''. Premiered by the

Camerata Bariloche The Camerata Bariloche is a chamber music ensemble from Argentina, founded in 1967. The ensemble has achieved international recognition for excellence. Origins The Camerata was formed by musician Alberto Lysy, who organized the Camping Musical ...

on their European tour (1974) * ''... E sarà'' (1976), five pieces for orchestra: ''Homenaje a

Girolamo Frescobaldi Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (; also Gerolamo, Girolimo, and Geronimo Alissandro; September 15831 March 1643) was an Italian composer and virtuoso keyboard player. Born in the Duchy of Ferrara, he was one of the most important composers of k ...

'', ''Círculos sobre "L'enharmonique"'', ''Planh'', ''Sarabande et Double'', and ''Homenaje a Domenico Scarlatti'', for English horn, harp, percussion, solo violin, and strings (20'). Premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra, directed by Antonio Tauriello, Teatro Cervantes (August 1976) * ''Eusebius'' (1984–85), five nocturnes for orchestra divided in four groups, group A: percussion, celesta, harp, strings; group B: strings s/b.; group C: strings; and group D: percussion, piano, and strings (12'). Premiered by the Buenos Aires Philharmonic orchestra, directed by Juan Pablo Izquierdo, Teatro Colón (September 1985) * ''Música ficción III'' (1990), three pieces for chamber orchestra: ''Neobarroco'', ''Pasos (en la nieve)'' and ''Reescritura y continuación de una pieza de Arnold Schoenberg'', for voice, percussion, piano, celesta, harmonica, strings ( 12’). Premiered by the Contemporary Music Studio, directed by Gerardo Gandini, Goethe-Institut (September 1990) * ''Mozartvariationen'' (1991) for voice, percussion, piano, and strings (15’), premiered at the Goethe-Institut (1991) * ''Estudios para descripción de la luna'' (1993), for chamber orchestra, percussion, and piano (12'), premiered by the Fundación Omega Seguros Sinfonietta, directed by Gerardo Gandini, Teatro General San Martín (1994)

Filmography

;Music * '' Allá lejos y hace tiempo'' ar Away and Long Ago(1978) dir.

Manuel Antín Manuel Antín (born February 27, 1926) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter. Manuel Antín was born in Las Palmas, Chaco Province, in 1926. He first wrote for Argentine television in 1956 and made his directorial debut in 1962 with hi ...

References

External links

Invitación a conocer a Gerardo Gandini
'' ElPezDigital'', April 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gandini, Gerardo 1936 births 2013 deaths 20th-century composers 20th-century pianists 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Argentine musicians 20th-century male musicians Argentine composers Argentine pianists Argentine conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Argentine people of Italian descent Male composers Male pianists Musicians from Buenos Aires Tango musicians Juilliard School faculty Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina faculty National University of La Plata faculty