In “Rapsodia andina” by Esteban Benzecry (originally for cello and piano, here arranged for violin and piano), we can find rhythmic quotations of dances and songs from the Latin American folklore, fused by the composer with a modern musical language. In this piece we can hear the cadential rhythm of the baguala, a style characteristic of northern Argentina, part of Bolivia, and Perú; it is a song usually accompanied by a drum called caja india.

This accompaniment is assigned to the violin who imitates it by doing arpeggiated pizzicato chords. The cadenza in the violin has some traits of the carnavalito, a joyous dance from the same region, characterized by a long beat and two short ones on the caja india. The work ends with the energy of the malambo. The rhythm is rough and virile. The malambo is an Argentinean dance that is executed by men only in which they compete to show their abilities in the zapateo, which
features rythmic footwork.

The original version of “Rapsodia andina”, for cello and piano is dedicated to Gloria Lin and Jesús Castro-Balbi, who premiered it in New York in 2002.