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Reviews
Silvestre Revueltas Music Festival
January 20-23, 2000
Schedule
(Santa Barbara, CA...) Santa Barbara, California is
the location for a three-day music festival to celebrate
the 100th birthday of Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas.
Classic films, lectures, manuscripts, live chamber and
symphonic music will be held at various locations. The
festival takes place from Thursday, January 20 through
Sunday, January 23, 2000.
Three historic Mexican films for which Revueltas composed
the music scores will be shown with English subtitles:
Vamos Con Pancho Villa (1933) ; La Noche de Los Mayas
(1939). Redes (1935), with the Santa Barbara Symphony
playing the live film score under the music direction
of conductor Gisèle Ben-Dor.
The festival includes lectures by Revueltas scholar
Professor Roberto Kolb-Neuhaus of the University of
Mexico, and a number of orchestral and chamber works,
including a children's concert with a quartet, accompanied
by life-size puppets from Mexico. Although designed
specifically for a Revueltas performance and music score,
they have never performed in the United States.
In addition, the festival will have manuscripts, photos
and music scores of Revueltas' on display at the Santa
Barbara Public Library and the Karpeles Manuscript Library.
Tapes, books and CD's will be available, including
the Santa Barbara Symphony's world premiere recording
of La Coronela , Itinerarios and Colorines, with the
English Chamber Orchestra.
Although noted by many as one of the 20th Century's
greatest composers--compared frequently to Manuel De
Falla and Copland--Revueltas is perhaps one of the least
known to serious music and film audiences.
Born in Mexico on December 31, 1899, Revueltas died
at the age of 40, after a prolific decade of creativity
and compositional activity that reflects the modernism
and nationalism of that period in the Americas. Thirty
plus pieces in approximately ten years encompass many
large orchestral scores, a half dozen film scores, music
for smaller ensembles, four string quartets and songs.
Revueltas' compositions are often described as original
and passionate. They are universal in scope, as well
as deeply inspired by the folklore roots of Mexico.
He studied and performed in Mexico and the United States.
He also toured and performed throughout Spain during
their revolution, and was deeply moved by it. Revueltas
wrote extensive letters and essays on his reflections
of life, revolution and music. He also identified heavily
with the artist Vincent Van Gogh, and described how
he dreamed of music as "color, sculpture and movement."
The festival is being sponsored in part by The Mexican
Cultural Institute, LA; The Mexican Consulate, Oxnard;
The University of California, Santa Barbara; The Santa
Barbara Symphony, the Santa Barbara Public Library,
the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Barbara
Chamber of Commerce.
Seats are limited at some events and locations. For
more information and a brochure call Lynn Holley, project
director at 805-898-1443.
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