Castro, José María

Argentine cellist, conductor, and composer, brother of Juan José Castro and Washington Castro; b. Avellaneda, near Buenos Aires, Dec. 15, 1892; d. Buenos Aires, Aug. 2, 1964. He studied cello and composition in Buenos Aires. From 1913 he played in orchs. and chamber music ensembles, and later was solo cellist in the Orquesta Filharmónica of the Asociación del Profesorado Orquestal(1922–27). He was titular conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica in Buenos Aires (193(M2), and also conducted the municipal band there(1933–53).

Works

DRAMATIC: Ballet: Georgia (1937; Buenos Aires, June 2, 1939); El sueño de la botella (1948); Falarka (La Plata, Oct. 27, 1951). monodrama:La otra voz (1953; Buenos Aires, Sept. 24, 1954). orch.:Concerto grosso (1932; Buenos Aires, June 11, 1933); Obertura para una ópera cómica (1934; Buenos Aires, Nov. 9, 1936); Piano Concerto (Buenos Aires, Nov. 17, 1941; rev. 1955); Concerto for Orchestra (1944); Concerto for Cello and 17 Instruments (1945; Buenos Aires, April 8, 1949); Tres pastorales (Buenos Aires, Sept. 30, 1945); El libro de los sonetos (1947); Suite de cinco piezas (1948); Arietta con variazioni (1948); Preludio y Toccata (1949); Tema coral con variaciones (1952; Buenos Aires, June 27, 1954); Concerto for Violin and 18 Instruments (1953; Buenos Aires, July 6, 1954); Piano Concerto (1955); Diez improvisaciones breves (1957; Buenos Aires, May 9, 1959); Preludio, Tema con variaciones y Final (1959; Buenos Aires, Aug. 18, 1960); Sinfonía de Buenos Aires (1963; Buenos Aires, June 26, 1966). chamber: Concerto for Violin and Piano (1917); Violin Sonata (1918); Sonata Cello and Violin (1933); Sonata for 2 Cellos (1938); 3 string quartets (1943, 1947, 1956); Tres estudios for Cello and Piano (1946); Tres piezas for Cello and Piano (1947); Sonata poética for Violin and Piano (1957); many solo piano pieces, including 6 sonatas (1919; 1924; 1927; 1931; Sonata de Primavera, 1939; Sonata dramática, 1944). vocal:Cinco liricas for Voice and Orch. (1958); Con la patria adentro for Tenor and Orch. (1964; Buenos Aires, Aug. 26, 1965); many songs with piano.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire