Last week on Open Studio, WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen sat down with the award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla to discuss his latest project, "Arrabal." Santaolalla also brought his ronroco — a variant of the charango — to demonstrate some of the show's music. You can hear the complete session below.
An Argentinian musician and composer, Gustavo Santaolalla grew up under a military junta during a period that would come to be known as the "Dirty War." During this time, thousands of people were jailed or disappeared by the government. With the music of "Arrabal," Santaolalla tells the story of Argentina as he saw it: A world of vibrant after-hours music and civil unrest.
Santaolalla is a two-time Academy Award winner for best original score with "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) and "Babel" (2006). His solo album "Ronroco" has also seen commercial success in film and television soundtracks. One of those tracks, "De Ushuaia a la Quiaca," was picked up by Walter Salles and incorporated into the soundtrack for "The Motorcycle Diaries." Listen to the song below.
