Latin Lilt

The BBC Concert Orchestra aren't exactly the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra more's the pity. They make a reasonable fist of this BBC Music mag cover disk however, which is titled Fiesta ! and includes music by various Latin American composers. The conductor on most pieces is Miguel Harth-Bedoya. He conducts Huapango by Jose Pablo Moncayo, a latin showcase that I think was played by the Bolivars at this year's Proms which in part prompted my earlier remark. Next is the ballet suite Estancia by Alberto Ginastera which is the most "classical" piece, along with Seven Popular Spanish Songs by Manuel De Falla ( ok, Spain's not in the Americas but the influence is the same, mezzo Anne Murray sings ). The final piece with Harth-Bedoya conducting is Piazzolla's Tangazo, performed here without bandoneon and the poorer for it. The disk concludes with the BBC Concert Orchestra running through Gershwin's Cuban Overture with Barry Wordsworth this time and there is a small bandoneon fix in Nocturna by Julian Plaza, played by a combo of bandoneon, violin, double bass and piano. A lightweight offering on the whole but ok.