Sensamaya's Song To Kill A Snake

The Mexican expressionist composer Silvestre Revueltas, now well known for his incessant rhythms, wanted to change the state of authentic, Mexican-based classical music, from nationalistic folk-based sounds, to his more urgent and dissonant style of expressionism.

Revueltas' most famous work, Sensamaya, based on the poem Song to kill a snake, is evocative of his style. Constant rhythms, with authentic Hispanic percussion, and modern orchestrations, gritty melodies and harmonies, create an almost industrial sound. On this recording is the 1938 fully orchestrated version of near bombasticity. Two other works on this disk are also written for full orchestra: La Noche de los Mayas and Ventanas. La Noche de los Mayas is intended to evoke ancient

The incredibly serene and melodic opening, with occasional majestic outbursts of brass and percussion, shows Revueltas' innate ability to combine Mexican culture with classical music. The scherzo second movement, subtitled Jaranas, is almost a classical Mariachi, with witty lightness; whereas the third movement, subtitled Yucatan, has a melancholy calm featuring lush strings, woodwind melodies, and folk-like elements. Extra-musical effects, extensive percussion, and variation technique, show Reveultas' capabilities of diverse compositional techniques as a 20th century modern composer. Interesting sounds and combinations make a very engaging conclusion. Much like Sensamaya, Ventanas is very rhythmical and industrious sounding, featuring in this case,

Each has a unique assortment of instruments and are in smaller proportions to the previously mentioned portions of the disk. Ocho for Radio is a musical answer to a mathematical equation. Featuring eight players, the music has so much going on, it nearly sounds Ivesian. The main idea prevails, however, including a mariachi trumpet and string section, along with two woodwinds and one percussionist. The Homage to Lorca, in three movements (Dance, Sorrow, and Sound) begins with familiar sounding Mexican ideas, with slightly humorous dissonances and motives, includes piano, piccolo, and tuba. The ambiguous sounds of the middle, give an uneasy feeling of impatient monotony, while the concluding movement is in a revelatory and joyous mood with occasional clashings of dissonance and jazzy inflections. The two Serious Little Pieces are charming miniatures: the first, a swift pointilistic whirlwind, the second, a slow waltz. Scored for wind quintet with baritone saxophone, a rustic sound is