ARIEL RAMIREZ: "Misa Criolla" - Gloria & Agnus Dei

1) "Gloria"
2) (@ 05:30): "Agnus Dei"
Counterpoint and Friends conducted by Robert de Cormier
from Albany TROY746 (2004)
A recording of folk-inspired choral works by 20th century Latin American composers, magnificently performed by Counterpoint.
This recording brings together a variety of choral works by 20th century Latin American composers, all of whom find inspiration in folk culture. Chief among the composers represented here is Ariel Ramirez. Born in Santa Fe, Argentina, he roamed the South American hinterland in his early twenties playing piano and studying regional musical traditions. After a brief stint in Buenos Aires, he spent several years in Europe, studying in Madrid and Vienna and teaching music in a German convent. Returning to South America in 1954, he completed his musical training in Buenos Aires, where his politically engaged popular songs rapidly earned him renown as a leader of the nueva cancion movement. His breakthrough onto the international stage came in 1967 with the first performance and recording of the Misa Criolla (Mass in Native Style). The success of this innovative work owes much to its timing. Set in Spanish rather than Latin, it was one of the first major masses composed after the Second Vatican Council mandated the use of the vernacular. It also profited from the period's burgeoning interest in folk music. As a result, the work quickly captured the imagination of audiences worldwide and has received thousands of performances. The mass's reception abroad, where its style was perceived as novel and exotic, actually helped stimulate appreciation for native culture among more skeptical audiences back in Argentina. Like all Ramirez' major works, the Misa Criolla draws substantially on the folk traditions in which he immersed himself as a young man. There are complete English texts for all the works included in the program booklet.

Contents:
Ariel Ramirez, composer
Misa Criolla
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
Gustavo Adolfo Rengifo, composer
La Llamita
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
Carlos Chávez, composer
Arbolucu, Te Sequeste
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
José Antonio Rincón, composer
Yambambó
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
Ariel Ramirez, composer
Navidad Nuestra
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
J. Reina, composer
Por El Camino
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
Mozart Camargo Guarnieri, composer
Egbegi
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
Ariel Ramirez, composer
Misa por La Paz y La Justicia
Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor
Review:
"I enjoyed this immensely..." (American Record Guide)
"In this new recording, Robert De Cormier emphasizes the music's earnest sweetness, aided by his choir's pure, gentle tone..." (Gramophone)