Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940)

Started by arkiv, January 24, 2010, 08:54:41 AM

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arkiv

This author has interesting orchestral works like:
Pieza para Orquesta, 1929
Alcancías, 1932
Caminos, 1934
Colorines, 1932
Cuauhnáhuac, for string orchestra, 1930; revised for full orchestra, 1932
Danza geométrica (orchestral version of Planos), 1934
Sensemayá, 1938

This is a superb version of Sensemayá, with Eduardo Mata:

https://www.youtube.com/v/WjfE2pUPKrU

snyprrr

Did you seriously beat me to the punch? >:DArrrgh! ;D

I guess I took too long trying to come up with a Great Thread Title, haha.



Revueltas belongs for me with Ives and other interesting trailblazers. Revueltas has a pencil on the paper immediacy in his writing, like you can see him tracing every line. And the hallucinary aspects (along with early Chavez) are unique in 20th century music.

I have the RCA set, the Dorian chamber disc, and the QLatinoamerica doing the SQs. I am missing but a few pieces, which is another reason to like R, the Webernesque compactness of his output.

Pieces like the Fuga-piece (on the RCA set) are a highlight. I am really fond of most all the Mexican composers. For me, the Romanticism of Mexico, and it's history, hold a powerful atmosphere over the serious music produced there.


arkiv

Quote from: snyprrr on January 25, 2010, 09:36:42 AM
Revueltas belongs for me with Ives and other interesting trailblazers. Revueltas has a pencil on the paper immediacy in his writing, like you can see him tracing every line. And the hallucinary aspects (along with early Chavez) are unique in 20th century music.
Outlandish in some conceptual art spheres, with an influence of folk artcraft.

jowcol

Don't leave out La Noches de Los Mayas-- (suite made from a film score) I believe.  It has a lot of the same blend of exotic, percussion and rhythmic insistence as Sensemaya, but stretches longer.   It's my fave work  of his, and he's definitely one of those great trailblazers.

"If it sounds good, it is good."
Duke Ellington

Tapkaara

Quote from: jowcol on March 16, 2010, 09:11:33 AM
Don't leave out La Noches de Los Mayas-- (suite made from a film score) I believe.  It has a lot of the same blend of exotic, percussion and rhythmic insistence as Sensemaya, but stretches longer.   It's my fave work  of his, and he's definitely one of those great trailblazers.

My favorite Revueltas work too...

Drasko



This has just been releasead, re-released actually, originally on Koch, long out of print.
QuoteSILVESTRE REVUELTAS (1899-1940)

La Coronela (The Lady Colonel) (1940)*;
I. Los Privilegiados (The Upper Crust of 1900)
II. Los Desheredados (The Disinherited)
III. La Pesadilla de Don Ferruco (Don Ferruco's Nightmare)
IV. El Juicio Final (The Last Judgment)
Itinerarios (1938);
Colorines (1932) †;

English Chamber Orchestra†
Santa Barbara Symphony / Gisèle Ben-Dor
WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Dubbed 'The Mexican Falla', Silvestre Revueltas lived hard and died young in poverty. His music was revolutionary, embracing the 'vulgarity' of the people and rejecting colonialist cultural models.

His unfinished ballet La Coronela (The Lady Colonel) follows a scenario of skeleton figures involving the overthrow of the 'decadent bourgeois' by the working class.

This recording is the first to adhere faithfully to the reconstruction by Eduardo Hernández Moncada and José Limantour, the only surviving version of the work.

Itinerarios (Travel Diary), a solemn, intensely lyrical work, and the symphonic poem Colorines mark the beginning and end of his most fertile creative period.

Tapkaara

I do intend on buying that recording formerly on Koch. Have you heard it? Thoughts?

Mirror Image

#7
Revueltas along with Villa-Lobos, Chavez, and Ginastera are quite possibly the greatest Latin American composers or are the ones that have had the most influence not only in their own countries but abroad.

Revueltas is really interesting. Many people have called him the "Mexican Stravinsky," but while this may be true to some extent, I think he was very much his own man and composed some outstanding works. I own alll of the available recordings of his music except for the Urtext discs of various orchestral works. I would say one of my absolute favorite Revueltas works is "Redes," which is an orchestral suite that was compiled from a film score. "Colorines," "Itinerarios," and "Los Noches de los Mayas" are also some favorites of mine. I've liked pretty much everything that I have heard from his pen. He was a master craftsman, but he had this dark, cynical, and sometimes humorous side to his music that I find refreshing.

Mirror Image

Quote from: Tapkaara on April 04, 2010, 09:14:42 AM
I do intend on buying that recording formerly on Koch. Have you heard it? Thoughts?

It's an amazing recording. Definitely a must buy. Giselle Ben-Dor has been an authority on Latin American music and her affinity for Revueltas definitely puts her in the same league as Mata.

Mirror Image

#9
I can't believe this fantastic composer only has one page. :o Revueltas isn't a household name of course, but, still, anyone interested in 20th Century Mexican music will stumble upon his name rather quickly.

Since I've just now revived this thread, what are your thoughts about his music? What are some of your favorite compositions by this iconoclast?

not edward

A very fine composer to my ears--almost everything I've heard of his has had a very distinctive personality. The RCA Centennial Anthology is an absolute must; many fine recordings, mostly under Eduardo Mata or the much-underrated David Atherton, and the Naxos disc mentioned above is an excellent supplement.

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I also enjoyed the Cuarteto Latinamericano's traversal of Revueltas' four string quartets; they're all brief and rather gritty affairs, but I found them appealing nonetheless.

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There were also some good recordings available on the Dorian label, which I believe later turned up on Brilliant Classics' Musica Mexicana box set.

I'm less attached to Salonen's disc, but it is cheap and contains the only recordings I've heard of Ventanas and the two Little Serious Pieces.

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"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

Mirror Image

#11
Quote from: edward on April 11, 2011, 10:29:37 AM
A very fine composer to my ears--almost everything I've heard of his has had a very distinctive personality. The RCA Centennial Anthology is an absolute must; many fine recordings, mostly under Eduardo Mata or the much-underrated David Atherton, and the Naxos disc mentioned above is an excellent supplement.

[asin]B00000K2F1[/asin]

I also enjoyed the Cuarteto Latinamericano's traversal of Revueltas' four string quartets; they're all brief and rather gritty affairs, but I found them appealing nonetheless.

[asin]B000000R3M[/asin]

There were also some good recordings available on the Dorian label, which I believe later turned up on Brilliant Classics' Musica Mexicana box set.

I'm less attached to Salonen's disc, but it is cheap and contains the only recordings I've heard of Ventanas and the two Little Serious Pieces.

[asin]B00000I77A[/asin]

That 2-CD set on RCA is a must as you say. Outstanding performances. I will also say that Eduardo Mata's performances on Dorian of Redes and Sensemaya are essential listening especially for the orchestral clarity Mata coaxes from the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orch. of Venezuela. I haven't really given the Salonen disc a proper listen and I've owned for a year or so now. I feel embarrassed to admit this being a Revueltas fan. You're right about Ventanas, I can't seem to find on any of the recordings I own of his orchestral music. The Naxos disc (originally released on Koch of course) with Giselle Ben-Dor is excellent. I revisit this recording quite a bit.

There's also a great series that was released on the ASV (re-released on Brilliant Classics as set --- which is the one I own) called Musica Mexicana which featured many of Revueltas' orchestral works.

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Mirror Image

Revueltas didn't compose any concertos, which I find interesting as the violin was his instrument. I would have loved to have heard a Revueltas violin concerto. Now wouldn't that be something? I can imagine it now: the violin would have a technically demanding part that only a virtuoso like Hahn or Mullova could pull off, the orchestral accompaniment would be spiky, dissonant in the outer movements and have a dreamy, surreal sounding slow movement in the middle. Oh the music he could have composed had he lived longer...

vandermolen

Don't know much about this composer but as a result of this thread I have dug out a CD I have called 'Latin American Fiesta' (Sony -NYPO, Bernstein) which includes 'Sensemaya' by Revueltas - what a hoot! Greatly enjoyed it. Orbon is another Latin American composer whose work I've discovered recently.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

jowcol

A similar album you may enjoy:
http://www.amazon.com/Fiesta-Gustavo-Dudamel/dp/B0013USZHG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1


I'm not sure if he is the "deepest" composer, and I haven't heard too much variety in his work, but Danzon #2 by Marquez is a very enjoyable work, and Dudamel has a lot of fun leading it.  Here is a Youtube of it from the Proms.

http://www.youtube.com/v/3vwZAkfLKK8

My son had the pleasure of playing cello in this work with a group of young Venezuelans, led by a Venezuelan teacher who had so much fun conducting it that she stole the show.



"If it sounds good, it is good."
Duke Ellington

jowcol

Quote from: vandermolen on April 12, 2011, 01:39:06 AM
Don't know much about this composer but as a result of this thread I have dug out a CD I have called 'Latin American Fiesta' (Sony -NYPO, Bernstein) which includes 'Sensemaya' by Revueltas - what a hoot! Greatly enjoyed it. Orbon is another Latin American composer whose work I've discovered recently.

Jeffrey- La Noche De Los Mayas is another Revueltas I really, really  like-- there are a few versions on YouTube.   Be warned, there is a sense of looming catastrophe in the beginning.  This version is in three parts.

http://www.youtube.com/v/HTEh1A9Ur8E

http://www.youtube.com/v/COoEgOuzwxk

http://www.youtube.com/v/n6BM32A_9OU





"If it sounds good, it is good."
Duke Ellington

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on April 12, 2011, 01:39:06 AM
Don't know much about this composer but as a result of this thread I have dug out a CD I have called 'Latin American Fiesta' (Sony -NYPO, Bernstein) which includes 'Sensemaya' by Revueltas - what a hoot! Greatly enjoyed it. Orbon is another Latin American composer whose work I've discovered recently.

Sensemaya is Revueltas' most popular score and it is a fun work. You should definitely checkout more of Revueltas' music. Probably the best introduction to his music is the 2-CD collection on RCA which was mentioned earlier. It's an outstanding set.

vandermolen

Quote from: jowcol on April 12, 2011, 05:21:19 AM
Jeffrey- La Noche De Los Mayas is another Revueltas I really, really  like-- there are a few versions on YouTube.   Be warned, there is a sense of looming catastrophe in the beginning.  This version is in three parts.

http://www.youtube.com/v/HTEh1A9Ur8E

http://www.youtube.com/v/COoEgOuzwxk

http://www.youtube.com/v/n6BM32A_9OU

John -thanks so much  :)

I've noticed an Edouard Mata boxed set of Latin American music recommended in another thread here which is tempting. The Simon Bolivar Youth Orcestra is amazing,that 'Fiesta' CD looks really good to.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on April 12, 2011, 11:51:11 AMI've noticed an Edouard Mata boxed set of Latin American music recommended in another thread here which is tempting. The Simon Bolivar Youth Orcestra is amazing,that 'Fiesta' CD looks really good to.

I've been recommending it to members since I joined GMG last year, but you're the only who has acknowledged it. Here's the link:

[asin]B002N5KEMO[/asin]

You won't regret this purchase. Trust me.

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on April 12, 2011, 12:43:53 PM
I've been recommending it to members since I joined GMG last year, but you're the only who has acknowledged it. Here's the link:

[asin]B002N5KEMO[/asin]

You won't regret this purchase. Trust me.

Thanks very much - yes, it was you who recommended this attrative looking set. The problem here is that I already have one of the discs - a really great compilation with music by Orbon, Chavez etc. But, my CD OCD wil probably mean that Iwont resist the temptation - especially after your recomendation. I guess that I can always try to sell the separate CD. Now, off to the Amazon site  :o
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).