Anthologies of Latin American music seem to be a dime a dozen these days and tend to showcase the same coterie of giants. The joy of this Dorian release--beyond its stunning, full-bodied sound--is its inclusion of music fr... more »om lesser-known composers, namely Arturo Márquez, Javier Alvarez, Marlos Nobre, and Alejandro Caturla. Carlos Chavez, of course, is represented on this disc--which comes as no surprise--but his Chapultepec is a trivial parade-float miniature, a seven-minute effervescence that leads, thankfully, to Oscar Lorenzo Fernândez's extraordinary Batuque, a colorful orchestral romp that is already a classic. Chavez fares much better on this disc with his orchestration of Dietrich Buxtehude's Chaconne in E minor. Credit for this disc's success goes to conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson and her firm command of this wonderful music. --Paul Cook« less
Anthologies of Latin American music seem to be a dime a dozen these days and tend to showcase the same coterie of giants. The joy of this Dorian release--beyond its stunning, full-bodied sound--is its inclusion of music from lesser-known composers, namely Arturo Márquez, Javier Alvarez, Marlos Nobre, and Alejandro Caturla. Carlos Chavez, of course, is represented on this disc--which comes as no surprise--but his Chapultepec is a trivial parade-float miniature, a seven-minute effervescence that leads, thankfully, to Oscar Lorenzo Fernândez's extraordinary Batuque, a colorful orchestral romp that is already a classic. Chavez fares much better on this disc with his orchestration of Dietrich Buxtehude's Chaconne in E minor. Credit for this disc's success goes to conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson and her firm command of this wonderful music. --Paul Cook
Extraordinary orchestral show-pieces from Latin America
Maria Luiza Corker | Brazil | 04/21/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I first heard this extraordinay CD, I immediately selected in my CD player three works to be played again in the following order of my preferences: "Convergencias" by MARLOS NOBRE, "Danzón 2" by Marquez and "Janitzio" by Silvestre. Those three latin-american masterpieces are the best symphonic modern music I had ever heard in the last 20 years! the orchestral sound of the Simon Bolivar Symphony conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson is a joy forever! And Marlos Nobre became my favourite contemporary composer, after hearing this masterpiece of orchestral writing, of coerence, architectural construction and latin-american violence and brilliance. I have now three different CDs with different recordings of this modern masterpiece, one by Lemán Classics conducted by the composer and the New Music Philharmonia;another by Delos with Eleazar de Carvalho conducting the Paraiba Symphony, and the present CD which is a marvelous performance."
More on the Chaconne
12/30/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Excellent disc (if you enjoy modern classical music). I actually think the Chaconne was rightfully included, since it is Latin American in origin. Below is what I found in the Britannica:"The sarabande and the chaconne were brought from Central America / Mexico before 1600. Both were considered outspokenly obscene in their suggestions of sexual encounters. They became extremely popular in the harbours of Andalusia, where they were polished and their pantomimic literalness somewhat moderated. From there they crossed the Pyrenees and were integrated into the canon of the French court dance.""
WoW!
Yolanda | 02/12/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I can honestly say that it has been a long time since a piece of music has hit me in such a profound way! I loved Danzon #2. I think Wilson does a wonderful job...you will not be disappointed!"
Danzon is a discovery!
Yolanda | San Juan, PR USA | 02/12/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Brilliantly executed. Crisp, clear, sharp orchestra performance. The title track is one of the most fascinating pieces of music I have ever encountered. I withhold one star only because some of the album's content, such as the Buxtehude piece, seem out of place in the company of delights such as the Danzón and the Metro Chabacano. I look forward to more recordings of Keri-Lynn Wilson and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra."
Alvarez' Metro Chabacano is gorgeous ...
Rudolf Dankwort | Phoenix, AZ | 08/28/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I ran across this piece on a Deutsche Welle broadcast over PBS - this piece is so elegant, so perfect in its simplicity - an absolute jewel, among the finest string music I have ever heard. I fortunately had recorded it on tape and immediately replayed it. A gem, a rare find.
The rest of the cd - OK from what I could hear from the samples. Of course, not really sufficient evidence ... why they had to include Buxtehude ??? BTW the orchestra is absolutely first-rate. I would pay serious attention to other Dorian releases by them, especially from the better-known composers like Villa-Lobos and Chavez. But who kows - quite possibly there lurk one or more little-known gems like the 'Metro" in those too."