Mi Alma Mexicana (My Mexican Soul)

Alondra De La Parra (Artist, Composer, Conductor) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Conductor: Alondra De La Parra
• Composer: Alondra De La Parra
• Audio CD (August 3, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: SONY MASTERWORKS
• ASIN: B003T8BWRK
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,183 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #76 in Music > World Music > Mexico

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Huapango

2. Melodía, Op. 1

3. Intermezzo de Atzimba

4. Imagenes

5. Concierto del Sur for Guitar and Orchestra; I. Allegretto

6. Concierto del Sur for Guitar and Orchestra; II. Andante

7. Concierto del Sur for Guitar and Orchestra; III. Allegro moderato e festivo

8. Sobre las Olas

Disc: 2

1. Danzón No. 2

2. Sensemaya

3. Suite De Caballos Del Vapor

4. Sinfonía No. 2

5. Concierto para Piano

6. Clepsydra

7. Ínguesu

Editorial Reviews

DE LA PARRA ALONDRA MI ALMA MEXICANA (2CD)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey of 125 years of Mexican classical music, August 9, 2010

By 

goodmusicman (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mi Alma Mexicana (My Mexican Soul) (Audio CD)

Conductor Alondra De La Parra's recording debut on this 2-CD set from Sony Classical features an excellent overview of Mexican classical music, from its inception in the late 19th century to the present. Parra conducts the orchestra she formed, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, in famous and lesser known works from the gamut of the Mexican repertoire, delivering first-rate, and sometimes exceptional, performances of all works featured here. Those who are looking to introduce themselves to the world of Mexican orchestral music should buy this CD set without hesitation. Most of the works featured are relatively unknown and are performed very well. Parra, who is Mexican, clearly has a close affinity for this music and these recordings convey that affinity well.

Several works are more well-known, including Revueltas's "Sensemaya" and Marquez's "Danzon No. 2," both of which were included in Gustavo Dudamel's "Fiesta" CD (a compilation of Latin orchestral music). I prefer Parra's Sensemaya, as it, like Dudamel's, is on the slower side, but succeeds in conveying both menace and excitement, while I found Dudamel's account to be lacking in the latter quality. I still prefer Enrique Batiz's account on Naxos above them all, as it is as pulse-poundingly exciting as classical music gets, with tempos nearly a minute faster than Dudamel and Parra. Dudamel toys with the tempos in Danzon, making it sound like a Latin dance piece that is only vaguely related to traditional classical music--and some may prefer it this way. I prefer Parra's, which conveys both the dance rhythms and the classical structure simultaneously. (The third major recording of this work, by Kery-Lynn Wilson, conducting the same Simon Bolivar orchestra as Dudamel, but on the Dorian label, is note-perfect but a bit too straitlaced for this kind of music.) Parra's recording of Manuel Ponce's "Concierto Del Sur" for guitar and orchestra with soloist Pablo Sainz Villegas is a fine introduction to this masterpiece (the greatest of all guitar concertos) but it is not as good as Sharon Isbin's account conducted by Jose Serebrier or the even better recording by Alfonso Moreno conducted by Enrique Batiz. (This has nothing to do with Parra's conducting of the work but rather with the less than ideal balance between guitar and orchestra as well as the soloist lacking some of the unique qualities that Isbin and Moreno bring to the work.)

Moncayo's "Huapango" (very famous in Mexico) is given a bristling performance full of life and enthusiasm. It slightly edges out Batiz's recording on Naxos for sheer exuberance. Chavez's El Tropico (from his H.P. Suite) is given a marvelous performance here, as is the wonderfully atmospheric "Imagenes" (from 1927) by Huizar. The remaining works give the listener an overview of the earliest period of Mexican music (the first work on this set dates from 1884), which mimicked the European style, all the way up to a work (for piano and orchestra) from 2006 by Toussaint, which is perhaps the greatest "find" on this set, a neo-Romantic work with jazz influences. Several works included here convey the brusquer side of Mexican music, but nothing here is atonal ala Schoenberg. The most modern works sound like Stravinsky at his most muscular.

The playing of the orchestra is very fine throughout but it is not up to the standards of the best ensembles. This is probably due to its youth, having been created by Parra in 2004, and most of its members being under the age of 35. Undoubtedly, each new performance and recording will help raise the orchestra's standards. (It is also a bit smaller than many orchestras, which is noticeable in the smaller string sound and less powerful brass section--although these are minor quibbles, not fundamental flaws.) The sound quality varies from excellent to merely okay, which is odd given that all recordings were made in the same location in New York. Neverthless, as a whole, this is a most impressive debut for both conductor and orchestra and one can only hope that they will continue with more recordings of the Latin repertoire (which was Parra's goal when she founded the orchestra) and eventually a broader repertoire. For those who are looking for the next Gustavo Dudamel, whose musical instincts and talents may well exceed his, look no further: it is Alondra De La Parra!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great great music, January 12, 2011

By 

Fred - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mi Alma Mexicana (My Mexican Soul) (Audio CD)

The orchestra on this CD was formed by the conductor to allow for the music of composers from south of the border to be appreciated. This CD illustrates why this is important. The music is exciting and very very well conducted. We had the pleasure to experience her talents conducting the Dallas Symphony this past fall and she selected two numbers from this collection as part of her program. That performance was a most pleasurable experience. Her talent with our orchestra is illustrated by her talent with her orchestra that plays on this CD. If you like exciting music with a bit of a Latin flavor, you will love this CD as I have.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mi Alma Mexicana (My Mexican Soul), September 18, 2010

By 

hockey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mi Alma Mexicana (My Mexican Soul) (Audio CD)

A brilliant recording of the history of special Mexican music from the past 200 years. Alondra de la Parra, artistic director
of Philarmonic Orchestra of the Americas, did brilliant analysis of historic Mexican music and then made a marvelous selection
of what she believed would give people a wide range of the country's creative music.

The orchestra, founded in 2004 by Alondra, played wonderfully in this superb Sony recording. I highly recommend this for people
who would like to add more international diversity to their music hearts.