THEODORO VALCÁRCEL CABALLERO (1896-1942): Concierto indio for Violin and Orchestra, MANUEL GÓMEZ CARRILLO (1883-1968): Rapsodia santiagueña, Fiesta criolla, ALBERTO WILLIAMS (1862-1952): Primera obertura de concierto, GUILLERMO URIBE HOLGUÍN (1880-1971): 3 Danzas, FRANCISCO MIGNONE (1897-1986): Congada, ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992): Milongón festivo.

Description: These orchestral works from Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Brazil are all World Premiere Recordings. Now it's true that four of them are arrangements or orchestrations of chamber works but all but one of those were done by the composers themselves (Piazzolla's 6-minute Milongón festivo, originally for 3 bandoneons, electric guitar and orchestra, has had those solo instruments removed by the conductor of this disc) and it's also true that Castro's Arrabal (1934) is the first movement of a symphony (but it appears that the symphony was more like a suite given the title's reference to poor immigrant districts of Buenos Aires - the other movements must also have been inspired by geographical or similar items), but it makes no difference when everything here is so fresh-sounding, full of pungent folk-music references, often exotic and excitingly rhythmic (Williams' "First Concert Overture" of 1889 is the most conservative, dating from just after his return to Argentina after seven years studying in Paris with Franck and others). Nora Chastain (violin), Württemberg Philharmonic Reutlingen; Gabriel Castagna.