ALBERTO GINASTERA: PIANO CONCERTOS NOS 1 AND 2

Dora De Marinis (piano) and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. (Naxos, 8.555283)

APPARENTLY Alberto Ginastera's two piano concertos, penned in 1962 and 1972 respectively, belong to his "neo-expressionist" period.

Expression is the term, followed closely suspect by avant garde.

These late works by the Argentinian composer (he died in 1983) are full of strong harmonies and dischords in equal measure, one minute rippling and tinkling like a musical expression of raindrops in a forest, another crashing and roaring like, well, like a crashing and roaring thing.

Piano Concerto No 1 has four movements, each quite distinctive. In the first, the cadenza, you have cascades of chords and octaves. The second, the scherzo, gives the distinct impression of meteor showers, magical and wondrous natural phenomena. In the third, it is almost as though you have stepped into a film with a score as dramatic as the action. And I wish I could describe the final movement, but the CD started jumping at that point.

Or it could just have been preparing me for the Piano Concerto No 2, which starts with a rip-roaring uproarious 32 variazioni sopra un accordo di Beethoven. Again, a combination of attacking piano and percussion with introspective and dischordant moments.

It could make a girl quite tired just listening to all this. And although it's all terrific stuff, and pianist Dora De Marinis performs her countryman's works with expertise and vigour, I suppose it's not really my cup of tea.

Despite that, Ginastera is one of the greatest Latin American composers of the last century, and ballets making use of Argentinian folk music are among his most performed works.

His career was divided into three stylistic periods: the objective nationalism, where he made direct use of elements which lay at the heart of traditional Argentinian folk music, subjective nationalism, where he moved away from his roots more, and the aforementioned neo-expressionism period.

And there's nothing wrong with expressing yourself.