Customer Reviews

Las Ultimas Composiciones

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first learned about Violeta Parra when I read her poetry in Woman Who Has Sprouted Wings: Poems by Contemporary Latin American Women Poets. I was both struck with the poems and the circumstances of her life. Besides being a gifted writer, singer and musician, she painted and wove tapestries known in Chile as Arpilleras and was the first Latin American artist welcomed at the Louvre. A very accomplished woman, she nevertheless committed suicide in Santiago in 1967 at the age of 50.

When I found out she had CDs available I bought Las Ultimas Composiciones, an excellent collection of 14 songs ranging from sweet lyricism to driving resistance. It is the last recording issued in her lifetime and many of the songs include accompaniment by Alberto Zapican and Violeta's children, Isabel and Angel Parra. The version here of Gracias a la Vida is especially haunting. If you like Latin American folk music but have never heard of Violeta I think you will fall in love with her when you hear her songs.

Violeta Parra was an amazing woman who nearly single-handedly launched a revolution in music, art and culture in Chile... and went on to inspire a political revolution as well. This CD, originally on disk, captures some of her last works. Bittersweet, sometimes angry, sometimes sorrowful, but alway masterful, it captures her sentiment not long before she committed suicide. This is a must-have for folk music lovers, Canciones Nuevas lovers, and lovers of political music. Victor Jara, Isabel and Angel Parra, Inti-Illimani, Rolando Alarcon, Quilapayun and many others owe Violeta so much. Listen and know why. I explain Canciones Nuevas to Americans "like Bob Dylan in Spanish." Except the music is so much better.

She was the Edith Piaf of Chile. A great record with examples of her strengths and her sentiments. If you like folk music and songs of rebellion you'll love the sound of Chile's songbird. A must for all who care to learn more of La Cultura Chileana.

I first heard this album when a friend of a friend played it while crashing at my apartment in 1977. I recorded it and have played the tape over and over again since then. I've been searching for the album for years and have only now discovered that it is available as a CD. Get it, if you like strongly felt, stirring, superbly musical political lyrics. I am reminded most of Heinrich Heine's political Lieder.

MASTERPIECE . THERE IS NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS ALBUM .
IT IS A MIRACLE OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION .

This album is the last and the best Violeta's album .
Terrific Lyrics , terrific voice , terrific melodies .simplicity .
The Dylan of southamerica , even better . Joan Baez knew it .She ( Violeta) knew that he was going to die . That;s why the album tittle is "the last compostions" . she killed herself months after the release of this album , in 1966 .
Yes , we in southamerica also got our musical heroes , who died of sadness and love , like Hendrix and Morrison .
This is a miracle in the history of art , like Rimbaud or VanGogh .
But , I have to say , it will be difficult for "not sudaka's" to appreciatte it .
God bless you.

I bought this record a while ago. The music is great and was certainly worth it. Other reviewers have more to say about it. But the edition was really poor; cheap to put it bluntly. I see now that there is another edition available, one from the "wea" label. I am pretty sure it would be a better choice to try that one. Violeta (and this record in particular) highly recommended:5 stars, ans records no: 1 star.

Violeta shines so brightly in this collect that I consider it her best work. If you can only have one CD by Violetta, get this one!

The passion, the politics, and the raw folklore of the artist comes through with each unique work of art included here.

This is the best rendition of "Gracias a la Vida" because it is sung with heart and soul by the composer. All of her poetic songs are priceless and unique when song by Violeta.

I have this album on vinyl and unfortunately the recording process was not state of the art. So, when it was released in compact disc format the sound quality is not much different from that of the vinyl album.

It still remains one of the best Violetta Parra records out there based on song composition alone. If you're a true fan you can see beyond the bad sound mixing and appreciate her for the incredible artist she was.