Recordings

This is the first recording by the Santa Barbara Symphony, and it is also the first recording of Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas’ last score. A ballet with a revolutionary theme that was left unorchestrated at the time of Revueltas’ death in 1940, this work helps fill in the picture of the romantically tragic composer, who was as colorful and vital a force in Mexican music as Frida Kahlo was in Mexican art. Gripping, rhythmically brilliant music, “La Coronela” gets a dynamic performance under Ben-Dor, and the recording studio has done a nice job on touching up the Santa Barbara Symphony’s ensemble playing, which was less pristine when it played the work live last season.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).