The impetus of the Mexican Revolution galvanized the use of Indigenous melodies in a new and original wave of musical compositions that loosened dependence on European models. José Moncayo’s infectiously joyful ‘Huapango,’ one of Mexico’s best-known works is, in its distinct national character, deeply rooted in folk music. Silvestre Revueltas’s ‘La Noche de los mayas’ is a symphonic suite derived from film music that employs Mexican percussion instruments in a vividly inventive way. The process of linking folk influence with classical techniques continues to the present day with Hebert Vazquez’s ‘El arbol de la vida’ which uses the folk style known as the ‘son.’ Mexican guitarist Pablo Garibay has established himself as a leading force on the international classical guitar scene with a repertoire that includes the great guitar concertos, notably those by Rodrigo, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Ponce, and Villa-Lobos. As a concerto soloist, he made his debut with the Orquesta Filarmonica de la Ciudad de Mexico and has since appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout Europe and the Americas.

REVIEW:

This youth orchestra — founded in 2011 by the conductor — sound magnificent here. They are associated with Eduardo Mata University, and they consist of the finest young musicians of Mexico. They play with real mastery and joy — ensemble is precise, no matter how difficult the music; and the strings, in particular, can sound really lush and lovely. Anyone with interest in Mexican music should have this—or guitarists who are looking for a new, exciting work with orchestra.

– American Record Guide