Miguel Hernandez

Joan Manuel Serrat | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 20, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA Intl
• ASIN: B00004X0MB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,139 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

SERRAT JOAN MANUEL MIGUEL HERNANDEZ

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and haunting, even if have no Spanish!, September 16, 2001

By 

Ann L. Weber "Psych Prof" (Asheville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miguel Hernandez (Audio CD)

I am delighted to find this album finally available on CD. I have loved this music for 25 years, but had only a much loved, scratched LP (that's vinyl, for young people) until now. The album is a tribute in music to the poetry of Miguel Hernandez. I personally speak no Spanish and understand perhaps 20 words out of context. However, I first heard this album when a college roommate, originally from Cuba, played it in our dormitory room in 1973. I was captivated by the music, and when I asked her to translate some of the lyrics, I was enchanted, especially by "Menos Tu Vientre" and hauntingly by "Umbrio por la Pena." I borrowed her LP and played it again and again--and finally Silvia said, "Here, keep it--you love it even more than I do!" I have never tired of it, and soon sought out other works by Serrat. But nothing compares, in my mind, with "Miguel Hernandez." Listening to this CD has also helped me to learn and appreciate the rhythms and music of the Spanish language itself. I hope others will discover Serrat, and especially this album. I'm sure it will affect others as it has done for me. Especially in this week of September 11, 2001, in the sad and shocked wake of the World Trade Center and Pentagon disasters, I have found "Umbrio por la Pena," as only Serrat could express it, a great comfort. --Ann Weber, Professor of Psychology, UNC at Asheville, Asheville NC

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry Emerging From the Earth Sang by a Troubadour., August 4, 2005

By 

Maximiliano F Yofre "Maxi" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Miguel Hernandez (Audio CD)

Joan Manuel Serrat (1943) is one of the greatest Spanish folk singer. He is much more than that! He is a Poet, Musician & Troubadour, permanently touring around Spain & Latin America.
Serrat's first compositions were done & sang in Catalan as he was engaged in artistic-resistant movement opposing Franco's regimen & politics that include forbidding regional languages.
His first success sang in Spanish was the single "Poema de Amor" (1968) closely followed by "Tu Nombre me Sabe a Hierba" (1969). After those two hits Spanish speaking musical market was in turmoil demanding more from Joan Manuel.
"Mediterraneo" (1971) and "Miguel Hernandez" (1972) were two remarkable LPs springing from his heart and his political affiliation.

Miguel Hernandez (1910-1942) was a goat herder since boyhood till he was fifteen years old. He was an autodidact and fall in love with poetry. His first compositions were simple and pastoral. From there on he evolved to be a cultured "neogongorist" mastering language and metrics.
At Madrid he entered in touch with poets like Neruda, Alberti and Cernuda evolving his political stands and poetic style.
As Civil War erupted in Spain he fervently defended the Republic stressing himself in different posts and fronts.
When republicans were defeated by Franco's troops he was imprisoned and died in 1942 from tuberculosis without regaining freedom.

The compositions contained in this CD are Serrat's musicalization for Hernandez poetry. A rich mixture of musical sounds and significant texts flows from this excellent CD.
"Para la Libertad" is a dramatic composition written when Miguel was hospitalized during the war. It reflects the feeling of a freedom-fighter giving his own body bit by bit for his cause and knowing that those lost parts will fructify.
"Elegia" is composition mourning for the sudden death of his beloved friend Ramon Sije; Serrat's music and voice dress up the verses with deep melancholic tones.
"Umbrio por la Pena" transmits the deep pain of the poet in his last days before passing away.
"Nanas de la Cebolla" dedicated to his only child growing up with famine and deprived of his presence. Even if you do not understand the words, Serrat's artistry will convey the profound emotion contained in this heartbreaking poem.
The rest of the tracks in this CD are outstanding! Do not miss this gem!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars La poesía y la música en comunión., December 23, 2000

By 

Rodrigo Crespo Elizondo (Monterrey, México) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miguel Hernandez (Audio CD)

En este disco Serrat musicaliza e interpreta de una manera exquisita y casi perfecta algunos poemas de otro gran poeta de la literatura española, como lo es Miguel Hernández. En los poemas se refleja el alma de Miguel Hernández que muestra dolor, desesperación, amor, muerte, la lucha por la libertad, entre otras muchas cosas, propias de su trágica vida; y en la música y en la voz de Serrat se acompañan y se acentúan tales sentimientos. Este disco es una joya de la música en español, tanto por su contenido poético como por su contenido musical; uno de los mejores discos de Serrat, sino es que el mejor.