Berliner Meister Schallplatten | Bolivar Soloists | Musica de Venezuela

In Venezuela, at any kind of gathering, musicians eventually take out their instruments and play traditional music for hours. This is a wonderful tradition that Venezuelan musicians miss deeply when they move abroad. One of the triggers for the creation of the Bolivar Soloists was the need to play our music, share it with our colleagues, and perform it for audiences around the world. The original pieces have strong character of their own and evoke simple but strong feelings. It was a real challenge to put these melodies into a classical format, trying to preserve the essence of the original on the one hand, and to create a classical work to give it a true-to-life setting on the other. These pieces reflect the spirit of Venezuelan music making, but also appeal to classical listeners who will appreciate the excellent playing and fantastic musicianship.

After their debut record with music by Astor Piazzolla on Berliner Meister Schallplatten (BMS 1202), the Bolivar Soloists have chosen a new formation for their second LP: Flute, oboe, clarinet and string quintet. At the same time powerful and flexible, the ensemble is further complemented by the quatro - the Venezuelan national instrument, a four-string guitar - which plays a very important role in this repertoire. The musicians, who come from South America and Europe, became very familiar with the music, which allowed them to play with great rhythmic accuracy on the one hand, and freely and spontaneously on the other. Since this performance was recorded directly to disc without the possibility of post-production, an audience was invited into the studio to create the right atmosphere and make the musicians feel comfortable.

This recording is a direct-to-disc recording from Studio 1 of Emil Berliner Studios. Direct-to-disc recordings are the result of intensive preparation and rehearsal time by the artists involved, as well as the sound engineers. The recording is completely analog and is cut directly into a lacquer foil, which is then formed into a pressing matrix in a galvanic process. Each pressed record is thus an original print of this recording.

Side A

1. La Bikina / Natalia

2. Quinta Anauco

3. Emma y el Catatumbo

4. Curruchá

Side B

1. El sombrero

2. El tropiezo

3. El grano

4. El entreverao

5. Caramba