An annotated catalog of selected Argentine orchestral repertoire from 2000 to 2021 introduced by a survey of Argentine classical music: a resource for conductors and orchestras

This essay provides a catalog of twenty-first century Argentine orchestral music as a practical resource for conductors and orchestras. The catalog is accompanied by an introduction designed to acquaint readers less familiar with the historical, social, and political context of this music.

Chapter One provides an overview of Argentina’s current classical music scene, with an emphasis on the field of composition. Chapter Two presents a historical survey of Argentine classical music between the sixteenth and twenty-first centuries. This selection includes an overview of areas such as music education, performance venues, prominent composers and their contributions, and musical practices. Chapter Three offers a detailed description of the methodology used to build an Argentine orchestral music catalog. Chapter Four features the biographies, pictures, and website information of the fifty-four Argentine composers represented in the catalogue.

Chapter Five offers a catalog of 430 Argentine works created between 2000 and 2021. The catalog lists pertinent information for programming by outlining a variety of instrumentation types and musical styles, and compiling works for different performance levels. The information is presented in four related categories: works for symphony orchestra, works for reduced instrumentation ensembles, solo works, and works for string orchestra. The scope of the catalog does not cover the entire body of works written by Argentine composers during the above-mentioned timeframe. It is limited to a timeframe of twenty-one years to efficiently present a large body of works, to champion living composers, and to contribute to gender/ethnic representation in the orchestral field. To keep the project manageable in size, the catalog is limited to the work of fifty-four composers. As conductors and arts organizations seek to diversify their programming, this essay may help in the selection and performance of Argentine orchestral works in our concert halls.