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
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.
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.
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.
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...
(http://www.mdt.co.uk/public/pictures/products/standard/8572250.jpg)
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.
I do intend on buying that recording formerly on Koch. Have you heard it? Thoughts?
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.
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.
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?
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.
[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]
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.
[asin]B00133KEYK[/asin]
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...
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.
A similar album you may enjoy:
http://www.amazon.com/Fiesta-Gustavo-Dudamel/dp/B0013USZHG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1 (http://www.amazon.com/Fiesta-Gustavo-Dudamel/dp/B0013USZHG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61l0AY4NL2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Quote from: vandermolen on April 12, 2011, 01:00:11 PM
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
You're welcome. You could probably sell that CD pretty easily. I think this set is a great investment as most of the recordings are out-of-print. The packaging and booklet are top-notch. The CDs are housed in cardboard sleeves and remind me of the collector's editions of Bernstein on DG with the elongated boxes and cardboard sleeves. This makes the discs easy to remove. The music in this set is priceless. You'll enjoy it, no doubt about it.
Finally, this thread has two pages. Now if I can only get it up to 40 like the Brian thread. :D
Why are so many people down on Latin American music? I mean is it about exposure? Why exactly do people continue to neglect this area of classical music? It seems that only a specialized group of listeners listen to this music. I mean I think anyone who enjoys Stravinsky or Bartok would enjoy Revueltas.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 12, 2011, 02:03:27 PM
Finally, this thread has two pages. Now if I can only get it up to 40 like the Brian thread. :D
I ordered the Mata set - 5 CDs for the price of one full-price CD seems good + the Revueltas double set for £5.00. Will report back in due course.
I am an anyone who likes both Stravinsky and Bartok very much, and I don't particularly care for Revueltas. Nothing to do with Latin America, either. Many of my favorites happen to be from Latin America, Estrada, Justel, Mandolini, Kasem, Ferreyra, Kagel. (Seems like when I do a "top of the head" list that Argentina wins!)
I have just one Revueltas CD, the one by Salonen/LA Phil, and I love it! I would certainly be interested in getting more if available on BRO, which is the only place I order CDs now since I came back to China. I make probably two orders every year.
Of all the South American composers, Revueltas stands out for me (also V-L), even though I have only heard that one CD.
Quote from: vandermolen on April 12, 2011, 10:35:12 PM
I ordered the Mata set - 5 CDs for the price of one full-price CD seems good + the Revueltas double set for £5.00. Will report back in due course.
Excellent, vandermolen! Can't wait to hear your impressions of the music.
Quote from: some guy on April 12, 2011, 11:47:43 PM
I am an anyone who likes both Stravinsky and Bartok very much, and I don't particularly care for Revueltas. Nothing to do with Latin America, either. Many of my favorites happen to be from Latin America, Estrada, Justel, Mandolini, Kasem, Ferreyra, Kagel. (Seems like when I do a "top of the head" list that Argentina wins!)
The main problem with this post is you don't tell anybody
why you don't like Revueltas.
Quote from: springrite on April 12, 2011, 11:52:31 PM
I have just one Revueltas CD, the one by Salonen/LA Phil, and I love it! I would certainly be interested in getting more if available on BRO, which is the only place I order CDs now since I came back to China. I make probably two orders every year.
Of all the South American composers, Revueltas stands out for me (also V-L), even though I have only heard that one CD.
Have checked out any Ginastera? I think you'd enjoy his music immensely.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 13, 2011, 06:32:02 AM
Have checked out any Ginastera? I think you'd enjoy his music immensely.
Just the Harp Concerto and some piano music.
Quote from: springrite on April 13, 2011, 06:53:05 AM
Just the Harp Concerto and some piano music.
I think his ballets would be right up your alley. Its as if Stravinsky had gone to live in Argentina and absorbed that culture's folk music and traditions.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 13, 2011, 06:55:55 AM
I think his ballets would be right up your alley. Its as if Stravinsky had gone to live in Argentina and absorbed that culture's folk music and traditions.
I particularly like Panambi, the Stravinsky influence is really strong. Great work.
Quote from: jowcol on April 13, 2011, 06:57:03 PMI particularly like Panambi, the Stravinsky influence is really strong. Great work.
Panambi is a great work. I plan on revisiting this one soon. I've been getting back into Latin American composers lately. I seem to go through these phases: one month may be East Europeans, next month Russians, the next month French, etc. I always come to back to Latin America.
I discovered a CD in my collection from Guatemalan composer Ricardo Castillo (1894-1966) - I had forgotten that I had it and what with the interest here in Revueltas and South American composers I thought that I should play it. It is great! The music which gets a couple of useful reviews on the US Amazon site is described as 'brutal, lyrical, meditative' and has been compared to the music of Stravinsky (in 'Rite of Spring' mood) and Sviridov There are lots of repeating rhythms, reminiscent of Chavez at times. I suspect that admirers of Revueltas, Villa Lobos, Chavez or Orbon would enjoy this hauntingly atmospheric music very much.
I can't get the Amazon CD image to appear here but the CD is in the Maco Polo Latin-American Classics series and contains 'Paal Kaba' (ballet), Rhapsody for Orchestra 'Estelas de Tikal', 'La Doncela Ixquic' (Symphonic Poem), 'Abstraccion' and 'Instantaneas Plastcas'. I played the CD right through with much enjoyment. It seems to be available quite cheaply on the Amazon UK site.
Quote from: vandermolen on April 14, 2011, 05:04:33 AM
I discovered a CD in my collection from Guatemalan composer Ricardo Castillo (1894-1966) - I had forgotten that I had it and what with the interest here in Revueltas and South American composers I thought that I should play it. It is great! The music which gets a couple of useful reviews on the US Amazon site is described as 'brutal, lyrical, meditative' and has been compared to the music of Stravinsky (in 'Rite of Spring' mood) and Sviridov There are lots of repeating rhythms, reminiscent of Chavez at times. I suspect that admirers of Revueltas, Villa Lobos, Chavez or Orbon would enjoy this hauntingly atmospheric music very much.
I can't get the Amazon CD image to appear here but the CD is in the Maco Polo Latin-American Classics series and contains 'Paal Kaba' (ballet), Rhapsody for Orchestra 'Estelas de Tikal', 'La Doncela Ixquic' (Symphonic Poem), 'Abstraccion' and 'Instantaneas Plastcas'. I played the CD right through with much enjoyment. It seems to be available quite cheaply on the Amazon UK site.
Yes, vandermolen, I have those Marco Polo discs which feature Ricardo Castillo. Very interesting composer indeed. I do need to revisit his music as it's been awhile since I listened to both of those discs. As you may or may not know, there is one Marco Polo recording dedicated to nothing but Castillo's music and then the other one he's coupled with another Guatemalan composer Martinez-Sobral.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 14, 2011, 06:30:37 AM
Yes, vandermolen, I have those Marco Polo discs which feature Ricardo Castillo. Very interesting composer indeed. I do need to revisit his music as it's been awhile since I listened to both of those discs. As you may or may not know, there is one Marco Polo recording dedicated to nothing but Castillo's music and then the other one he's coupled with another Guatemalan composer Martinez-Sobral.
I've just ordered the Castillo - Sobral CD and I see that Castillo's Third Symphony is available - I am tempted!
Quote from: some guy on April 12, 2011, 11:47:43 PM
I am an anyone who likes both Stravinsky and Bartok very much, and I don't particularly care for Revueltas. Nothing to do with Latin America, either. Many of my favorites happen to be from Latin America, Estrada, Justel, Mandolini, Kasem, Ferreyra, Kagel. (Seems like when I do a "top of the head" list that Argentina wins!)
I particularly like Revueltas's fritz'd edges, and general, apparent, dirtiness. He reminds me of the Musical Pigpen (from Peanuts). Nasty and drunk Mexican debauchery!! I AM surprised he hasn't spoken to you. I have the Mata/RCA 2cd, the SQs, and the Dorian chamber music cd.
John Belushi would have made a great Revueltas! ;)
Quote from: vandermolen on April 14, 2011, 08:33:26 AM
I've just ordered the Castillo - Sobral CD and I see that Castillo's Third Symphony is available - I am tempted!
I wasn't aware that Ricardo Castillo composed any symphonies. Hmmm....
Quote from: snyprrr on April 14, 2011, 10:47:49 AM
I particularly like Revueltas's fritz'd edges, and general, apparent, dirtiness. He reminds me of the Musical Pigpen (from Peanuts). Nasty and drunk Mexican debauchery!! I AM surprised he hasn't spoken to you. I have the Mata/RCA 2cd, the SQs, and the Dorian chamber music cd.
John Belushi would have made a great Revueltas! ;)
LOL! This is a great post. :D Yes, Revueltas that dirty Mexican drunk! :P Damn, he was awesome. 8)
I can just picture Revueltas stumbling out of a bar in Mexico yelling "Tequila! ¡Necesito más tequila!" and then passing out next to a horse. Who knows this may be the inspiration for Janitizo which he composed in 1933, then he realized in 1936 that he couldn't make heads or tails out of this score so he revised it. :P
I've been revisiting a good bit of Revueltas's music lately and am still greatly in awe of the originality of the music. It's so rough around the edges, highly rhythmic, and it's as if he's taken some mariachi music and put it in a blender, threw in some Bartok Miraculous Mandarin viciousness and served it over a hot plate of refried Stravinsky Rite of Spring. 8) Such incredible music.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 14, 2011, 08:58:31 PM
I can just picture Revueltas stumbling out of a bar in Mexico yelling "Tequila! ¡Necesito más tequila!" and then passing out next to a horse. Who knows this may be the inspiration for Janitizo which he composed in 1933, then he realized in 1936 that he couldn't make heads or tails out of this score so he revised it. :P
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 06, 2011, 11:42:31 AM
I've been revisiting a good bit of Revueltas's music lately and am still greatly in awe of the originality of the music. It's so rough around the edges, highly rhythmic, and it's as if he's taken some mariachi music and put it in a blender, threw in some Bartok Miraculous Mandarin viciousness and served it over a hot plate of refried Stravinsky Rite of Spring. 8) Such incredible music.
Haha, great descriptions. When I listen to his music, I can hear all of these things. It all makes total, clear sense in the end, though, at least to me. Some people have difficulty with his music, but I think his intentions are always clear.
Quote from: lescamil on December 06, 2011, 12:53:35 PM
Haha, great descriptions. When I listen to his music, I can hear all of these things. It all makes total, clear sense in the end, though, at least to me. Some people have difficulty with his music, but I think his intentions are always clear.
:P
I guess I can understand why some people would have difficulty with the music too. It always presents itself in such an abstract way, but yet, it is the rhythms that hold the works together and make them accessible. The only works by Revueltas that I haven't been able to stomach are his string quartets. Highly, highly dissonant works that I can't even begin to wrap my head around. Have you heard these?
Nope, haven't heard them yet. I haven't heard anything about them, either. That will be a project of mine soon, I guess.
Quote from: lescamil on December 06, 2011, 02:11:15 PM
Nope, haven't heard them yet. I haven't heard anything about them, either. That will be a project of mine soon, I guess.
Well, I guess you're in for a bit of shock when you hear them. Usually, Revueltas has some kind of lyricism in the music, but these SQs are just out there in left-field somewhere. :)
[asin]B000000R3M[/asin]
The interesting thing about this recording is it contains liner notes written by the composer himself. There's not anything of value in the notes as they don't really pertain to the string quartets, but it's an interesting read to say the least.
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 06, 2011, 02:14:25 PM
Well, I guess you're in for a bit of shock when you hear them. Usually, Revueltas has some kind of lyricism in the music, but these SQs are just out there in left-field somewhere. :)
[asin]B000000R3M[/asin]
The interesting thing about this recording is it contains liner notes written by the composer himself. There's not anything of value in the notes as they don't really pertain to the string quartets, but it's an interesting read to say the least.
They are very scrappy little hairballs aren't they? One practically hears the lead snapping under the Drunken Master's overjoyed enthusiasm.
Quote from: snyprrr on December 06, 2011, 09:46:12 PM
They are very scrappy little hairballs aren't they? One practically hears the lead snapping under the Drunken Master's overjoyed enthusiasm.
They really are. I still don't know what to make of them. :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 06, 2011, 10:31:35 PM
They really are. I still don't know what to make of them. :)
They may be some of the 'earthiest' SQs out there,... ah, enough bloviating, it's right here in front of me anyhow,... let's take 'em for a spin (hey, the whole cd is what, 39mins.?,haha).
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 12, 2011, 02:03:27 PM
Finally, this thread has two pages. Now if I can only get it up to 40 like the Brian thread. :D
This thread, I'm afraid, will never catch up to the Havergal Brian thread now. For shame...
Shame that Revueltas didn't write any massive works like Brian's Gothic Symphony and other gargantuan works like that. It would be great if La Noche de los Mayas were a 2 hour choral symphony!
Quote from: lescamil on February 14, 2012, 10:27:48 PM
Shame that Revueltas didn't write any massive works like Brian's Gothic Symphony and other gargantuan works like that. It would be great if La Noche de los Mayas were a 2 hour choral symphony!
I think Revueltas's output is just fine and I'm glad he never wrote any massive works like that. I wish he had lived long enough to complete the orchestration to
La Coronela.
La Noche de los Mayas is as close to a symphony as he got and I'm glad he never pursued the symphonic form. I do wish he composed a concerto of some kind like for violin since he was a violinist himself. That would have been interesting.
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 06, 2011, 11:42:31 AM
I've been revisiting a good bit of Revueltas's music lately and am still greatly in awe of the originality of the music. It's so rough around the edges, highly rhythmic, and it's as if he's taken some mariachi music and put it in a blender, threw in some Bartok Miraculous Mandarin viciousness and served it over a hot plate of refried Stravinsky Rite of Spring. 8) Such incredible music.
I still love this description I wrote. :D Makes me laugh. Anyway, what do you guys think about Salonen's recording of Revueltas? I don't think it quite matches Mata's performances, but is good alternative. Certainly better than Batiz's performances.
Can't this ol' dirty Mexican drunk get some support? I mean WTF, GMG? ???
A nice website with some great information regarding Revueltas:
http://www.peermusicclassical.com/composer/composerdetail.cfm?detail=revueltas
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 20, 2012, 11:18:28 AM
Can't this ol' dirty Mexican drunk get some support? I mean WTF, GMG? ???
When you sober up, you should delete this post.
Quote from: Daverz on March 17, 2014, 05:24:35 AM
When you sober up, you should delete this post.
Well, I don't know. I'm of Mexican descent and I found it quite funny. Lighten up a bit.
Quote from: lescamil on March 17, 2014, 05:32:38 AM
Well, I don't know. I'm of Mexican descent and I found it quite funny. Lighten up a bit.
Right, "dirty Mexican" is always fucking hilarious.
Quote from: Daverz on March 17, 2014, 05:56:15 AM
Right, "dirty Mexican" is always fucking hilarious.
Well, we live in such times. People are getting offended every day. I was offended until I got offended by your offence. I've seen that that's the way it works: once someone becomes offended by someone's offence, people will naturally be offended by the offended party. And to say he was anything but a "drunk messican" is just wrong and offensive because I hate it when people say "dirty mexican", and I would never say "dirty mexican" to anyone, and I forbid anyone to say "dirty mexican" around me because if you call one person a "dirty mexican" then you're calling all of us a "dirty mexican".
La Migra! :o
STOP TYPING MONDAYS!
Quote from: Daverz on March 17, 2014, 05:24:35 AM
When you sober up, you should delete this post.
When pigs fly...
Quote from: Daverz on March 17, 2014, 05:56:15 AM
Right, "dirty Mexican" is always fucking hilarious.
I thought it was, so that's why I posted it. :)
Quote from: lescamil on March 17, 2014, 05:32:38 AM
Well, I don't know. I'm of Mexican descent and I found it quite funny. Lighten up a bit.
Exactly. I think people should lighten up. I wouldn't be calling Revueltas a dirty Mexican drunk if he wasn't. :)
But here's a novel idea: let's discuss his music! I mean, you know, since this is his thread.
Do you consider this work to be for children?
http://www.youtube.com/v/yzaRcnl5tbY
Quote from: epicous on April 09, 2014, 05:17:15 PM
Do you consider this work to be for children?
http://www.youtube.com/v/yzaRcnl5tbY
I can't view the video from here, but could you be referring to
El renacuajo paseador (The Wandering Tadpole)? I'm not sure if it's for children but it certainly is a lot of fun.
Here's some background on the work:
Silvestre Revueltas, composer of genre-defying, visceral works like La noche de los Mayas and Redes, might not normally be associated with dance works, especially dance works for children. Yet Revueltas did produce a children's ballet, El renacuajo paseador (The Wandering Tadpole). El renacuajo paseador was composed in 1935, but was given its premiere by the renowned dance group La paloma azul (The Blue Dove) on October 4, 1940, while Revueltas was dying an untimely, unfortunate death. The bright, bouncy melodies, broad humor, and sudden shifts in mood in El renacuajo paseador all make this work accessible to children; however, it should be noted that these features are quite characteristic of Revueltas. This short ballet has a quick-moving plot involving a tadpole, the tadpole's mother, some mice who meet and befriend the tadpole, and a couple of menacing cats. Revueltas precisely characterizes each animal; after a characteristically ambiguous opening flourish on the trumpet, the tadpole's sprightly, childlike theme enters, played by a solo horn and then by the strings. As the tadpole wanders, Revueltas creates almost cinematic instrumental effects to describe the journey; a piccolo plays quietly over pizzicato strings at one point, creating an effect both ghostly and cheerful, and at a couple of points the strings play swirling glissandi while horns blare out alternately joyful and menacing melodies. The tadpole melody never leaves the orchestra for long, until just before the very end of the work, when the music turns solemn and almost harrowing for a brief span. After this, though, the tadpole theme comes back in abruptly, ending the ballet happily. El renacuajo paseador certainly will appeal to children, but Revueltas' unique instrumentation and vibrant rhythms make this charming composition for everybody, regardless of age.
[Article taken from All Music Guide]
https://www.youtube.com/v/1-K-mWZXSBM
Revueltas wrote the score and even had a brief appearance in the following film as the piano player:
https://youtu.be/vaDdhCo1qM4?t=55m14s
The sign says "please don't shoot the pianist."
AbsoFreakinLutely!
I can open / view / listen to the vid; it IS, indeed, "El Renacuajo Paseador.
It is ebullient, clearly playful, full of good solid musical jokes which are not nearly as obvious and broad as some pre and mid 20th century American cartoon scores. It is delightful, and I'm certain even young children would 'get' the jokes, the misplaced bits of harmony, the disruptions which sound exactly like some of the players lost their place, or skipped a page, etc.
I think it is near impossible to overestimate to what degree semiotic expectations are already in place, with people in general, and very young children being no exception... if they have heard 'regular' music, even folk songs with instruments, Mariachi music, whatever, so much is already subliminally set up in even the young mind that all these jokes, the well handled dissonances, surprises both rhythmic, melodic would be well understood, and children would find it very entertaining and very funny.
This wonderful piece: Joseph Fennimore ~ Concerto Piccolo for piano and chamber orchestra,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGC1L48Saow
[^since 'the problem' continues, if that doesn't play, copy and paste that URL into a new window -- that should work.]
is also ebullient, clearly playful, also truly funny (and longer -- maybe outside the five or six year-old's attention span) but in a very different more 'sophisticated' (or at least, 'adult') manner, and would not, I think, hit children in the same manner or as directly as the Revueltas piece you've posted.
This Revueltos is superbly and very successfully aimed at children, with that additional quality that adults can enjoy it without feeling condescended toward... which is a 'hats off, ladies and gentlmen' moment for any who can make a work which so fully reaches both audiences.
Fun piece. Thanks.
Best regards.
Quote from: lescamil on August 16, 2016, 11:56:24 PM
The sign says "please don't shoot the pianist."
Because
It is forbidden to shoot the pianist would be read as practically an invitation.
Quote from: lescamil on August 16, 2016, 11:56:24 PM
Revueltas wrote the score and even had a brief appearance in the following film as the piano player:
https://youtu.be/vaDdhCo1qM4?t=55m14s
The sign says "please don't shoot the pianist."
Yeah, I remember seeing this particular clip of him a few years ago. I wish there were actual interviews with him available. I don't mind reading subtitles even though my Spanish is getting better. :)
Revueltas always lightens my mood :)
Quote from: snyprrr on September 20, 2016, 06:39:51 PM
Revueltas always lightens my mood :)
He certainly wrote some incredible music. I look at Revueltas' 1930s compositional period as I do Janacek's late period in the sense that both composers wrote music of such magnificence in such a short period of time. Something was definitely in the
tequila water. :)
https://www.youtube.com/v/6bgjoc3ETEs
Radio Televisón Española has made an exquisite travail of Redes suite.
Thought it was time to revive this thread, it's sunny and hot here and Revueltas' music is the just what the doctor ordered.
Currently enjoying 'La noche de los Mayas'. A very atmospheric score.
Quote from: vandermolen on May 20, 2018, 01:58:28 PM
Currently enjoying 'La noche de los Mayas'. A very atmospheric score.
Indeed, Jeffrey. A fantastic piece.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 20, 2018, 02:06:09 PM
Indeed, Jeffrey. A fantastic piece.
Possibly my favourite work by Revueltas.
Quote from: vandermolen on May 20, 2018, 10:53:36 PM
Possibly my favourite work by Revueltas.
It's certainly one of mine. I also adore
Sensemayá,
Redes,
Janitzio,
Cuauhnáhuac,
Colorines,
Ventanas, and
Itinerarios. I haven't been able to get into the string quartets, but it's been quite some time since I've heard them. I remember them being quite knotty and aggressive.
La noche de los mayas has been one of my first important discoveries of 2021 thus far. I seriously consider this work should be in the standard repertoire and in concert halls overall. That epic theme of the opening is something else, and it shows up in the last movement, closing in full uproar!! All what you need to be hooked from the very beginning. I also like the Mexican folk influences, mostly in the 2nd movement. It reminded me of Chávez's Sinfonía India and Moncayo's Huapango. I first thought this work was gonna be more serious and experimental (I mean, dissonant), but it is little or none of it.
Revueltas, despite writing not many works, most of them are of high quality. It's a real shame he died too young. I'm pretty sure he had much more to offer and give us.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 04, 2021, 06:37:17 PM
La noche de los mayas has been one of my first important discoveries of 2021 thus far. I seriously consider this work should be in the standard repertoire and in concert halls overall. That epic theme of the opening is something else, and it shows up in the last movement, closing in full uproar!! All what you need to be hooked from the very beginning. I also like the Mexican folk influences, mostly in the 2nd movement. It reminded me of Chávez's Sinfonía India and Moncayo's Huapango. I first thought this work was gonna be more serious and experimental (I mean, dissonant), but it is little or none of it.
Revueltas, despite writing not many works, most of them are of high quality. It's a real shame he died too young. I'm pretty sure he had much more to offer and give us.
It certainly does deserve better treatment and I think it should be standard repertoire, but alas I don't make these kinds of decisions, so in the meantime, I'm grateful for all of the performances of it that exists. One of the interesting aspects of Revueltas is the fact that he produced so much incredible music in such a short time. In this regard, he reminds me of Janáček. If only these two composers were given another 20 years.
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 04, 2021, 08:26:53 PM
It certainly does deserve better treatment and I think it should be standard repertoire, but alas I don't make these kinds of decisions, so in the meantime, I'm grateful for all of the performances of it that exists. One of the interesting aspects of Revueltas is the fact that he produced so much incredible music in such a short time. In this regard, he reminds me of Janáček. If only these two composers were given another 20 years.
Yes, I think there is a decent number of recordings devoted to his music that allow to listeners give a clue about how great Revueltas was. Hopefully we will have more recordings in the future.
I really enjoy Ochos por Radio, more so than Sensemaya.
I know that probably belongs in the "Unpopular Opinion" thread. :D
Quote from: OrchestralNut on January 23, 2021, 07:14:34 AM
I really enjoy Ochos por Radio, more so than Sensemaya.
I know that probably belongs in the "Unpopular Opinion" thread. :D
And I like
Itinerarios more than both of those works. ;) ;D