Alberto E. Ginastera

Ollantay

Ollantay is one of the last scores of his nationalistic period of the Argentin composer Alverto Ginastera. The imagery for the music comes from the "Popol Vuh", or Council Book, an assemblage of Mayan myths of the creation and the legendary gods. Ollantay is the son of the Earth; he opposes Inca, the son of the Sun. When Ollantay attempts to rape Coyllur, the daughter of Inca, thereby profaning the Temple of the Virgins, Inca declares war on Ollantay, who resists for a time in his fortress, but who finally is defeated and killed. Ginastera divided the tale into three sections, which he described as follows: I. Paisaje de Ollantaytambo (The Countryside of Ollantaytambo. II. Los Guerreros (The Warriors). III. La Muerte de Ollantay (The Death of Ollantay). Ginastera composed Ollantay in Buenos Aires in 1947. Erich Kleiber, to whom the work is dedicated, conducted the world premiere in Buenos Aires on October 29, 1949, with the orchestra of the Teatro Colón.