Search - Nonesuch Explorer Series :: Explorer: Peru - Fiestas Music of the High Andes

Enjoyed on many levels

P. Chavez | Houston, TX | 12/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is about 43 minutes long and features excellent recordings from a time long past from a culture slowly fading away. While there are not a lot of photographs of the performers, the booklet gives plenty of details behind each song including lyrics and English translations.The music was recorded in June and July 1968 and was originally released in 1972.Some songs feature only two flutes playing together all the way to a 15 piece brass band playing festival music. I was unsure what to expect from a diverse line-up of music and musicians, but I am still impressed by the quality and clarity of these recordings. Some pieces are sad while others are highly festive. About half are all instrumental, while others feature singing. On two songs I can hear incidental voices, but they're probably of the musicians to each other rather than any significance to the actual song.I gave this album five stars because the music flows smoothly together, the recordings are clear and professional, and the historical significance is important to me (my family is from Peru)."