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Canto General, words by Pablo Neruda, music by Mikas Theodorakis, conducted by Mikas Theodorakis and Stefan Skold. This recording has been out for a couple of years, but seems to have gone unmentioned in TAS until now. It is a true audiophile spectacular, done with tube electronics, tube mastering by Doug Sax and Mike Reese, recorded with two mikes omni spaced. The music, unusual and to my mind very striking, involves chorus, vocal soloists, masses of percussion instruments plus pianos, guitars, flutes and bass.
Everyone is no doubt familiar with Theodorakis' music from the films Z and Zorba the Greek. Here he has set to music the poetry of celebrated Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. This song
cycle was intended for outdoor
performance, possibly over a PA system. Recreating such a thing for home listening is a challenge but the result is a powerful
experience. I found the soloists a bit over miked, but the composer was apparently pleased, so perhaps I am imposing my own tastes for
distant recording. The ensemble recording is convincingly realistic, even spectacularly so. The intrumental music is strongly rythmic,
while the vocal lines have a free-form character reminiscent of Middle eastern vocal style. I found the music exciting in small doses,
exhausting in large ones. Some people will find it an altogether overwhelming experience, given the right sensibility. (This type of
work, for voices and percussion, has apparently some deep resonance with Latin American musical culture, cf., e.g., Ginastera's
Cantata para America Magica.) The sound is certainly striking, and this limited edition would seem to be an instant audiophile
collector's item. CD price: $25.00 less shipping. Dealer/Distributor inquiries invited.
Mics: Neumann U-67 |