There is virtually nothing to criticize here. Okay, Michael Tilson Thomas does a slightly better job with Ginastera’s Estancia suite (Dudamel has a tendency to rush in an effort to be super brilliant–which he is, incidentally), and some of this music (including the Ginastera, Estévez’s Noon on the Prairie, and Revueltas’ Sensemayá) was previously recorded by this same group for Dorian under Eduardo Mata. Also, it would have been nice to have the complete Symphonic Dances from West Side Story instead of just the Mambo. But that would have gone a bit beyond the all-Latin theme, and with more than 75 minutes of music it also would have meant leaving something out that otherwise might not have been recorded at all.
In all other respects this really is outstanding, both in terms of individual numbers and as a program. And there are several novelties here that you won’t readily find anywhere else. I’m thinking particularly of Santa Cruz de Pacairigua by Evencio Castellanos, or Aldemaro Romero’s very enjoyable Fuga con pajarillo. I can understand why Dudamel might want to make his name in Beethoven and Mahler, but in my opinion it’s really much more worthwhile for music lovers to have the chance to hear some of the excellent music by Venezuelan and other Latin American composers that has yet to be recorded or given the opportunity to reach an international audience. This collection, superbly played and engineered, certainly whets the appetite for more. Let’s see what happens. [7/17/2008]
