Customer Reviews

Ariel Ramirez: Misa Criolla; Navidad en Verano; Navidad Nuestra

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Maybe this CD was carefully recorded and a true labor of love, especially with the involment of the composer and a famous tenor. However, it leaves me disappointed. This may be because I fell in love with a previous recording of Misa Criolla and Navidad Nuestra, one that was done in the 60's with singers in a South American church. It had all the earthly and folksy tones that one would associate with a Misa Criolla, a mass celebrated by common folks whose fervor elevated their musicality to heights that no operatic tenor or church choir can hope to attain, no matter how hard they try. That recording grew on me and I never tired of listening to it. But, unfortunately I thoughtlessly gave it away when I got rid of my vinyl records some years ago. Later, when I found this CD, I couldn't wait to hear it, but I am sorry to say that it cannot compare to the original recording. If any one still has that one, I would really appreciate if you would let me make a copy of it.

This excellent album is something to treasure. If you ever buy only one CD with Jose Carreras, this one might just be the one!!!
Although this was recorded just before the treatment for leukemia started (I believe Carreras already knew about it), it was the perfect choice at that time. His voice retains it's beautiful pureness throughout, which no one can match, and he doesn't need to force his instrument. Listen to some of the phrasing, especially when he is singing pianissimo in the slow passages, it's almost unbelievebly beautiful. The way he "speaks" the words and the depth of emotion, he is inside the music, inside the the words. That the composer was present (playing the piano) does of course add to the glorious result of these sacred pieces. It is definitely a CD to sit (or lie on the sofa) and really listen to preferably with the volum turned up a good deal. Here lies the greatness of Carreras......

I love misa criolla and Jose Carreras is a great tenor, but this recording is to polished for me. What makes the misa criolla unique is the use of folk rhythms and melodies. On this recording, they have become sterile compositions rather than vibrant aspects of life. I'd much prefer a grittier recording, with an imperfect orchestra, but a folksier singer (like another recording I own, with Zamba Quilpador singing the lead tenor). Nice try - too nice.

I believe this was the last recording Carreras made before his illness in 1987 and he is in sublime voice. The first part of the recording is a mass with each part is set to a different South American dance rhythm and the music and tempi are constantly changing. One moment you are being transported by a floated pianissimo, and the next, you are dancing around the room. This is probably my most listened to non-operatic CD.

I first heard a "misa criolla" track of the Lord's Prayer ( in spanish of course) on our Classic fm station and immediately call them what is the album title. They said it is a Philips album but it is out of circulation. When I found this on the net, excitedly purchased it and listened. What a dissapointment!!
I expected a folk guitar accompanied singer but all I have is too much confusion on what I am hearing. It is made with too much orchestration which require a hall not your serene listening room. Too bad I missed the folk version.

I first heard the Missa Criola in 1970 and immediately bought the LP, the one with Ramirez conducting his own works. I played the grooves off it for years. But it's not available on CD, so I had to make do with this very pale imitation.

The charm and strength of this music is its folk roots, and the feature that made my old LP so incredible was the raw energy and momentum of the performance. The soloists became the music, fitting in beautifully with no attempts to raise themselves to a position of greater glory. The energy and drive of the entire production was infectious; it was impossible to sit still while listening to it.

In this recording, much is made of Carreras. Yes, he's got a nice, if somewhat light-weight, voice, and were it not for his participation as one of the Three Tenors, singing with much better-known and accomplished colleagues, he probably would never have been considered for this recording. His voice is much too mannered, operatic, and light for it. In his throat, this music sounds like art songs. The choir is secondary to him, singing like a back-up group for some star, which is the reverse of the way it ought to be.

And let's not even talk about the tempi. Ramirez conducted his work with zest and energy. This recording seems to equate reverence with s-l-o-w tempo, with the predictable result that the music lags and is stretched out so far as to lose all its momentum.

Everything that's wrong here goes back to the fact that Ramirez wrote it in the folk idiom, and this recording is done as a finely polished vehicle for an opera star. The music has been made secondary to the performance of the tenor soloist, instead of the reverse, and the choir has been rendered insignificant, which, for this inherently choral piece, is quite an achievement, if a dubious one. There's no energy here, no drive, no... life. If this was the only way you'd ever get to hear the Missa Criola, you probably wouldn't be too interested in hearing it again.

I still have my old LP. It looks like a potato chip after all these years, but I'm going to find a way to copy it onto a CD and play it instead of this. I just can't recommend this dead recording.

even if the original all-out version is no longer available, perhaps you will find the Mercedes Sosa version a little moree to your earthy and real liking than the finely tempered but dying Carreras. Indeed this version is tuned more to the silent solitary halls than the living streets and barrios of mi pueblo.

To all of you noble souls who miss the 1964 Ariel Ramirez recording (I grew up in Argentina and my earliest childhood memories of Christmas are flooded with these songs!) and who found the Jose Carreras version too prissy--I have good news for you! I'm sharing this because I almost bought the Carreras CD not realizing that it wasn't the original Misa Criolla, and I'm very grateful that your reviews saved me from disappointment. I contacted some of you, but I'm writing this for the rest whose addresses are not available.

I wanted to tell you that I found a CD of the original Ariel Ramirez recording on eBay. The seller is Musicshop780 and the eBay store is "Music from Argentina." I just bought the CD, so I don't know if they are reliable or not. But I wanted to pass on the good news, because I was so excited to find the "real" Misa Criolla.

I hope this message doesn't contravene any Amazon.com policies. If it does, my apologies. I don't mean to hurt your sales. But if somebody is looking for the original recording, you don't carry it so it doesn't hurt you anyway.

Thank you all for your reviews.

PS: I don't mean to insult Carreras, I think he has a delightful voice but I agree that this Misa needs something more meaty, and over all, somebody who's "been there," somebody latinoamericano who can really feel the pain that's behind each one of these pieces. I gave the CD 3 stars because it's the most neutral rating.

This version of the Misa Criolla is elegant, restrained and polished, three adjectives that have nothing to do with the raw and rousing folk original. It's about as close to its roots as a gilded church crucifix is to the piece of lumber Christ was crucified on... I'll stick with my raspy 70s recording and relish it!

This is an outstanding CD which also has a video counterpart. It's Carreras singing both lively Spanish (almost Zarazuela) music and beautifully soft, peaceful, meditative pieces. We've used bands 1,5,9 as bedtime music for our grandchildren and it's never failed. He's singing music that you wouldn't associate with an opera singer. Was recorded just before his leukemia diagnosis in 1987.