Eight Basque Melodies for Soprano & Orchestra

On this CD:

1. Prelude for orchestra
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate

Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

2. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 1, Txalopin txalo
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

3. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 2, Nere maitia
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

4. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 3, Atea tan tan
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

5. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 4, Tun, kurrun, kutun
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

6. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 5, Arranoak bortuetan
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

7. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 6, Ainhoarra ñimiño
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

8. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 7, Anderegeya
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

9. Basque Melodies (8) for voice & orchestra: No. 8, Amak ezkondu ninduen
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate
Performed by Maria Bayo
Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

10. Elegy " In Memoriam" for orchestra
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate

Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

11. Symphonic Suite
Composed by Jesus Arambarri Garate

Conducted by Cristian Mandeal

Tracks:

I.
II.
III.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
In Memoriam - Elegia Para Orquesta (In memoriam - Elegy For Orchestra)
Ofrenda (Offering)
Viento Sur (Intermedio) (South Wind)
I.
II.
III.

Customer Reviews:

Sweet disc.......2003-11-28

Jesús Arámbarri (1902-1960) was an important figure in 20th-century Spanish music, even if he's obviously not very well known outside Spain. As conductor of the fledgling Bilbao Symphony Orchestra during the 1930s and '40s, Arámbarri often premiered some of his own short concert pieces, which appear for the first time in the United States on this disc. Although he was much more than a mere "local" composer, Arámbarri was deeply interested in the folkmusic of his native Basque Country. His gorgeous "Eight Basque Songs for Soprano & Orchestra" are based on mournful Basque love-songs and lullabies from the Pyrenees. Leaving the original melodies unchanged, Arámbarri chose instead to weave some extraordinarily rich orchestral harmony around them to achieve the desired effect of "modernizing" these old songs. While lamentably short, there are some truly divine moments in the "Eight Basque Songs". The soprano, Itxaro Metxaka, sings beautifully.

Stylistically, Arámbarri's other compositions have much in common with the music of fellow Spaniards Manuel de Falla and Isaac Albéniz. The Basque composer, however, deplored the sterotypical "capriccio espagnoles" being cranked out right and left in places like Paris, and while his music shows some of the influence Maurice Ravel had in Spain (Ravel was part Basque, by the way), Arámbarri pioneered his own path in music and flourished during the culturally brilliant days of the Spanish Republic and even into the darker years of Franco's dictatorship. The "Ofrenda" (1946), dedicated to Falla, and the gently sad orchestral tombeau "In Memoriam" (1939), written in memory of the poet Juan Carlos de Gortázar, are not exactly the "greatest of the greatest" music, but certainly provide a thoughtful musical backdrop for quiet, lazy evenings at home on your couch.

Great performance by the Bilbao Symphony (Arámbarri would be proud!). Definitely worth the low price. Five stars.

Music Review: