Misa Criolla

Carlos Chavez (Artist), Camargo Guarnieri (Artist), Ariel Ramirez (Artist), Juan Reina (Artist), Gustavo Adolfo Rengifo (Artist), Jose Antonio Rincon (Artist), Robert de Cormier (Artist), Counterpoint (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Albany Records
• ASIN: B00080LEI4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,446 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Misa Criolla

2. La Llamita

3. Arbolucu, Te Sequeste

4. Yambambó

5. Navidad Nuestra

6. Por El Camino

7. Egbegi

Editorial Reviews

This recording brings together a variety of choral works by 20th century Latin American composers, all of whom find inspiration in folk culture. Chief among the composers represented here is Ariel Ramirez. Born in Santa Fe, Argentina, he roamed the South American hinterland in his early twenties playing piano and studying regional musical traditions. After a brief stint in Buenos Aires, he spent several years in Europe, studying in Madrid and Vienna and teaching music in a German convent. Returning to South America in 1954, he completed his musical training in Buenos Aires, where his politically engaged popular songs rapidly earned him renown as a leader of the nueva cancion movement. His breakthrough onto the international stage came in 1967 with the first performance and recording of the Misa Criolla (Mass in Native Style). The success of this innovative work owes much to its timing. Set in Spanish rather than Latin, it was one of the first major masses composed after the Second Vatican Council mandated the use of the vernacular. It also profited from the period’s burgeoning interest in folk music. As a result, the work quickly captured the imagination of audiences worldwide and has received thousands of performances. The mass’s reception abroad, where its style was perceived as novel and exotic, actually helped stimulate appreciation for native culture among more skeptical audiences back in Argentina. Like all Ramirez’ major works, the Misa Criolla draws substantially on the folk traditions in which he immersed himself as a young man. There are complete English texts for all the works included in the program booklet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Counterpoint's "Misa Criolla" is a gem, May 10, 2005

By 

Michael Wells (Shrewsbury, VT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Misa Criolla (Audio CD)

Ramirez' Misa Criolla is the epitomy of music that lets you know the minute you hear it that you are in South America. Additional Latin American folk songs combine to make this disk rich in a variety of moods and textures.

"Counterpoint" sing with clean precision creating a sound that feels more like a single instrument than the twelve or so singers who make up the group. Their virtuosity grows with every CD they produce. Add to this restrained but evocative instrumentation that makes the music sparkle and you find yourself enjoying the music as much as the performers clearly do.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!! But composer listed erroneously.., July 22, 2010

By 

LolaR (NY,NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Misa Criolla (Audio CD)

This is Latin American music at its best. Unfortunately, track #15 "Por el Camino" is being listed as a Colombian song and in Amazon's track list the composer as JUAN Reyna. Wrong in both counts: JOSE Reyna is a Venezuelan composer born in Caracas in 1908, and his song is a very popular tonada/joropo that everybody in Venezuela is familiar with. Already got in touch with Albany Records to have this error corrected and give due credit to this wonderful and prolific Venezuelan composer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and inspiring, January 10, 2007

By 

emijo (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Misa Criolla (Audio CD)

I love this music, and found this CD to have lyrical interpretations of the variety of Latin American music represented by it. However, I was a wee bit disappointed in one thing. I had a previous tape (lost it) of much of the same music, and the performers were less professional, meaning that the music gained in earthiness which I felt to be a plus. As this recording was done by professionals, it is lyric, musical, and lovely, but lacks that unsophisticated touch which I had liked. Still a very enjoyable recording, though.