Carlos Chavez

[Chaszz]

I just heard on the radio an excellent Symphony No. 6 by the modern Mexican composer Carlos Chavez. This is the first work I've heard by him and is worth further exploration, IMO. Can anyone recommend other works of his?
_________________

[violinconcerto]

Definitely his violin concerto! A masterwork!
There are two recordings as far as I know: One on LP with Szeryng and one with Diemecke on CD. Unfortunately only the Szeryng recording is good...

[pjme]

Hi,
I've never heard that violinconcerto....

Anyway, Chavez is worth investigating . His most famous work is Symphonia India ( nr 2) - many good performances. Leonard Bernstein +NYPO ( on Latin american fiesta...) is an all time favorite. It's a short ,very colorful work (lots of percussion) , evocative, exiting rythms.
I'm definitely not a Chavez connaisseur - seem to remember that other symfonies ( and ballets?) are less "jolly".
The pianoconcerto is a big, Bartokian/exprssionistic romp ( should give it a spin later tonighth). It was briefly available :

with Eugene List, p; Vienna State Opera Orch/ Carlos Chávez. MCA MCD 80086 (36' )

Other works:
Caballos de vapor (Horsepower): Suite - Simon Bolivar Sym Orch of Venezuela/Eduardo Mata. Dorian DOR-90211
Xochipilli, an imagined Aztec music - La Camerata; Tambuco/ Eduardo Mata. Dorian DOR-90215

I enjoy two percussion works by Chavez : Toccata and Tambucco ( haven't researched recent performances - Les percussion de STrasbourg had them in their repertoire).

The symfonies are available in a good set : the London SO / Eduardo Mata / VOX . As far as I remember, Chavez went through several stylistic periods . He's an important personality anyway. He put musical Mexico on the map ( ca 1940-1960), invited many musicians to compose and perform.





Revueltas' Sensemaya and Fernandez' Batuque (when do we get the whole thing!!!) are irresistible !

Peter

[gomro]

I just heard on the radio an excellent Symphony No. 6 by the modern Mexican composer Carlos Chavez. This is the first work I've heard by him and is worth further exploration, IMO. Can anyone recommend other works of his?
_________________

He wrote an incredible piano concerto that was beautifully recorded on RCA back in the days of vinyl, with Maria Teresa Rodriguez as pianist with the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Mata; it has never been released on CD, for some reason. His three movement Toccata for Percussion is fantastic. Seeing it performed in concert back in the 1970s was an unforgettable experience, and one that led me into classical music. Probably his most famous orchestral works are the Sinfonia de Antigona and Sinfonia India, the first based on Greek musical modes and the second built from actual Native American themes.  An LP of his ballets The Four Suns and Pyramide was a favorite of mine many years ago, but my copy has long since gone south and, like the piano concerto, the ballets were never given a CD release.

[violinconcerto]

He wrote an incredible piano concerto that was beautifully recorded on RCA back in the days of vinyl, with Maria Teresa Rodriguez as pianist with the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Mata; it has never been released on CD, for some reason. 

Thats not correct!
It was released on the following CD along with the violin concerto:



http://www.amazon.com/Carlos-Ch%C3%A1vez-Concierto-Violin-Piano/dp/B00006LA2O

[vandermolen]

I really like his music. I especially recommend this CD:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ch%C3%A1vez-Symphonies-Nos-4-Carlos/dp/B00000IYND/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1204413289&sr=1-18


His music has a kind of craggy grandeur which reminds me of Havergal Brian. Both the orchestral and chamber music is worth investigation.

[The new erato]

I really like his music. I especially recommend this CD:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ch%C3%A1vez-Symphonies-Nos-4-Carlos/dp/B00000IYND/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1204413289&sr=1-18


His music has a kind of craggy grandeur which reminds me of Havergal Brian. Both the orchestral and chamber music is worth investigation.

Isn't this the recordings that have been reissued in Brilliants box of Mexican music?

Does anybody know the recording of his string quartets by the Cuarteto Latinoamericano on the Urtext label?

[vandermolen]

Isn't this the recordings that have been reissued in Brilliants box of Mexican music?

Not too sure. The only box I have is the Vox Box with all the symphonies (a great buy). The ASV CD was a Chavez Centenary issue.

[Chaszz]

Thank you all for your recommendations.

[Chaszz]

Thats not correct!
It was released on the following CD along with the violin concerto:



http://www.amazon.com/Carlos-Ch%C3%A1vez-Concierto-Violin-Piano/dp/B00006LA2O

Would you recommend the two interpretations on this CD, violinconcerto?
Thanks.

[violinconcerto]

Would you recommend the two interpretations on this CD, violinconcerto?
Thanks.

I never listened to the piano concerto. Neither in this interpretation nor in any other.
But I can say that the performance of the violin concerto in this recording is worse than the recording with Szeryng. And due to the fact that the LP with the Szeryng recording come up on ebay very often, I would recommend to wait for the LP.

[sound67]

Isn't this the recordings that have been reissued in Brilliants box of Mexican music?

Yes, it is.

[gomro]

Thats not correct!
It was released on the following CD along with the violin concerto:



http://www.amazon.com/Carlos-Ch%C3%A1vez-Concierto-Violin-Piano/dp/B00006LA2O

Is it the performance with Mata and Rodriguez, previously released on RCA Red Seal vinyl?

[MahlerSnob]

A few years ago I conducted one of his choral works, Three Nocturnes. It was a very beautiful, but very short, piece and it hadn't been done in Boston for about 30 years. I don't know his other works too well, but if you can find a recording of the Nocturnes (and if one exists) they're worth checking out.

[violinconcerto]

Is it the performance with Mata and Rodriguez, previously released on RCA Red Seal vinyl?

No! Check out the amazon link and you can see Osorio as piano soloist and Diemecke as conductor.