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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cuba Meets Copland,
By
This review is from: Orbón - Orchestral Works (Audio CD)
Spanish composer Julian Orbon spent twenty years of his life ( from 1940 to 1960)in Cuba and it shows. Latin American rhythms pervade two of the three works on this disc ( Three Symphonic Versions and Symphonic Dances) and influences of Copland, with whom the composer studied , are also pronounced, particularly in the Symphonic Dances. The 15 minute time-span of the latter will set your foot tapping with the rhythmic virtuosity of the piece and the daring orchestration will leave you breathless.
Similarly, the Three Symphonic Versions of 1954 show Latin American influence , even though the first two movements ,Pavana and Organum are based on themes from early music compositions. The final movement, Xilofono shows off the virtuosity of , as one may have guessed, the xylophone in a Congolese style short finale. In contrast, the Concerto Grosso for string quartet and orchestra is more subdued , yet intensely emotional. Written shortly after Orbon left Cuba in 1960 , at odds with the direction that the Cuban Revolution had taken, the Latin American influence is less noticeable and , if there is a cultural aspect to the work, the pervading country is Spain. The slow movement , in particular, is intensely moving and reminiscent of a Shostakovitch string quartet. For me, this is the finest work on the CD and one to which I return frequently. The playing of the Asturias Symphony Orchestra under Maximiano Valdes is idiomatic and uniformly excellent. The percussion section, in particular, is outstanding. The recording , too, is one of Naxos` finest and at the bargain price of £4.99 or less, the CD should be snapped up by anyone willing to sample the delights on offer.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More First Rate Music from Latin America,
By Mr. A. R. Boyes "Alan Boyes" (Newcastle, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Orbón - Orchestral Works (Audio CD)
From the first notes of the Symphonic Dances the identity of Julian Orbon's composition teacher is pretty obvious. Aaron Copland's voice rings through loud and clear. The Dances are the slightest work on the disc so headlining them on the sleeve cover is a bit deceptive. The dances do have a latin american feel but no more so than Copland's works in such as El Salon and Latin American Sketches.
It's worth remembering that Orbon was actually Spanish of Asturian roots and moved to Cuba as a youth. After Castro came to power he was quick to move to the USA. He occasionally returned to Asturias and his music increasingly reflected this ecclectic mix of influences. This is latin American music but with a strong connection to the USA, through Copland, and to Spain through his love of their renaissance music right through to near contemporary, Manuel de Falla. The Dances reflect the latin American influences most of all but the Concerto Gross, superbly performed by the quartet of string players, reflects the influences of renaissance Spain and neo baroque music with some Cuban syncopations. The composer this work comes closest too in style - and very close at that in the outer movements, is Bohuslav Martinu(every bit as good too). The inner movement reflects more the spanish influence. Indeed with a mix of renaissance with more syncopated contemporary influences you could be forgiven for thinking you're hearing the Michael Tippet from the early 1950's. Whatever the influences this is a seriously accomplished and enjoyable piece. It is the true headline work on the disc. The final work, Symphonic Versions, is less neo baroque but again mixes dance with the courtly renaissance influences. This is a curiously titled but quite substantial work, which signs off with a rousing and short virtuoso dance piece, led by the xylophone, based on an African theme. It feels like it sits somewhere between a concerto form - finishing with the dance flourish, but has the weight of a symphony in its slow central movement. This is another fine piece. All three works are sympathetically performed. You're not likely to hear these played better, given their rarity. Orbon was not a prolific composer so buying this disc opens a fair chunk of his output to new listeners. Others have praised the sonics of this recording, though I find the accoustic less than perfect. Even so, with excellent performances and terrific new works to discover this recording is a must have and deserves its five stars.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Latin American Master Composer,
By D. A Wend - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Orbón - Orchestral Works (Audio CD)
This CD provides a marvelous opportunity to become familiar with the music of Julian Orbon. Orbon was born in Spain into a musical family and moved to Cuba when he was in his teens. He also studied with Aaron Copland in the early 1950s. There is mixture European, American and Spanish American influences in his works. Orbon came into conflict with the Castro regime in 1960 and chose exile, eventually in New York where he died in 1991.
Recorded here are three of Orbon?s most interesting works. The most popular is the Tres versiones sinfonicas, which was composed in 1954. The first movement sounds much like Copland (although my wife thought it sounded like something Elmer Bernstein might have written for The Magnificent Seven). The music has a cinematic sound one would associate with a rugged western landscape but the themes were inspired by the 16th century composer Luis de Milan. In the second movement, Orbon used a medieval theme from the French composer Pertin and is a quiet, contemplative movement with moments of soaring beauty. Once again, the music is very pictorial. The final part has a Congolese rhythm with a xylophone as the obbligato instrument and brings the piece to an exciting close. The Danzas Sinfonicas were written in 1957 and consists of four movements and have a strong Latin American character. The opening dance, Obertura has an energetic rhythm and bright. The second, Gregoriana, is based on a plainchant melody and the third is a slow dance that is very dramatic. The final dance is based on courtly Spanish dances of the 18th century and is given new life here with a South American modality. The latest work on the CD is the Concerto grosso for orchestra and string quartet. The orchestration is denser but Orbon remains vibrant and inventive with the string quartet and orchestra fencing with each other in the first movement. The slow movement has the strings as the dominant instruments and a religious intensity. The finale resumes the play between the string quartet and the orchestra with a few moments of atonality and also has moments that sound a bit like Copland in the harmony. This music is well played but the Asturius Orchestra and the CD was well received by Gramophone magazine. I have heard the Tres versiones sinfonicas in a recording conducted by the late Eduardo Mata (on the Dorian Label with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra) that to my thinking has a bit more drama to the performance. The Naxos performance, by comparison, is an interesting reading of the score, steady and well phrased. Listeners may want to have both recordings but certainly don?t miss the Naxos disc. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Coplandesque color and charm aplenty, even if there is little beneath the surface glitter,
By G.D. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Orbón - Orchestral Works (Audio CD)
Julian Orbon (1925-1991) was born in Spain, spent a significant portion of his life in Cuba where he was involved with the revolution but absconded to Mexico in 1960 due to disagreement over certain ideological points with the regime. His music is tonal and pleasant, sounding more like Copland than anyone else, although lacking Copland's distinctive level of invention. The Three Symphonic Versions date from 1954 and mixes typical Coplandesque gestures with Cuban rhythms and atmospheres in the first movement, draws on medieval music in the second and provides a Coplandesque (again) treatment of Congolese rhythms in the third. It is a colorful if not particularly distinctive work, but is well scored and overall rather attractive.
The symphonic dances from 1957 is again colorful music drawing on a variety of folk music influences, but the most interesting movement is the second, Gregoriana, based on sped-up plainchant melodies. The Concerto grosso is the most interesting work here; it is scored for string quartet and orchestra and is an enjoyable work, even though only the lovely lento attempts to create something more profound than orchestral glitter. Overall, the playing is colorful and rhythmically alert, but the Asturias Symphony Orchestra comes across as uncomfortably tentative at occasions - much of the color and spirit is there, but the music needs more swagger and freedom than it gets here. Still, this is a very worthwhile release which should definitely appeal to lovers of Copland in Mexican mood. |
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