Southwest Chamber Music's Chávez: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 1, on Lomita, CA-based indie Cambria was of such caliber that it earned the Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance -- a stunning achievement for a regional chamber group on a so-called "minor" label, albeit one that has been in business for 25 years. The standards of performance, recording quality, and packaging that so distinguished the first issue are all present in this second volume, Chávez: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 2. But some of the music ...
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Southwest Chamber Music's Chávez: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 1, on Lomita, CA-based indie Cambria was of such caliber that it earned the Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance -- a stunning achievement for a regional chamber group on a so-called "minor" label, albeit one that has been in business for 25 years. The standards of performance, recording quality, and packaging that so distinguished the first issue are all present in this second volume, Chávez: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 2. But some of the music here is in Chávez's tougher, more abstract idiom and demands the patient attention of the listener, so it's a little more "work" this time around. Chávez: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 2, is certainly worth the time and attention -- the outer pieces, Energia for nine instruments and Sonata for four horns (1929) are both works from the 1920s that are immediately appealing and tremendous fun. The Soli I for winds (1935) is a piquant and succinct work reminiscent of Stravinsky. Conductor...
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