When in June 2020 the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra announced Domingo Hindoyan as their next chief conductor, they must have hoped that he would bring some Venezuelan flair and panache to the historically eclectic port city that is the orchestra’s home. He does that and more on their latest disc, the fifth they have released together on the Onyx label. The first in a series of ‘Music from the Americas’, it’s entitled Venezuela!, raising expectations of that South American exuberance already familiar to western audiences from performances by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra and Hindoyan’s compatriot Gustavo Dudamel. And, of course, there is that colourful, infectious mood to much of the music, but there’s also a dreamy introspection that may take some listeners by surprise.

The programme unfolds as a journey – complete with helpful map on the inside back cover of the booklet – which takes us from the city via a Caribbean island, up a mighty river and into the heart of the jungle. And the journey is a thoroughly absorbing one, starting in Hindoyan’s native Caracas with musings, memories and passions during a sleepless night described in Juan Bautista Plaza’s 1928 symphonic poem Vigilia, inspired by a poem by Juan Ramón Jiménez. Plaza’s palette is a wonderfully colourful one, ranging from the tenderness of quiet passages to impassioned outbursts that show off the RLPO’s fine brass section as well as the depth of their strings. The woodwind come into their own in the sections of reverie, and it’s all played with so much love that the sophisticated post-Romantic soundworld immediately wins the listener over.

Moving eastward, the journey takes us to the Church of the Holy Cross on the banks of the River Picairigua, with Evencio Castellanos’s 1954 symphonic suite Santa Cruz de Pacairigua. The dance of people outside the church is one infused with catchy traditional dances, and the work opens with impulsive drumming before giving way to church bells and evocative woodwind solos. The rhythmic inflections, coupled with birdlike chirrups, whisk the listener into the mood of the dance, with even a momentary waltz recalling colonial days. The entire orchestra – including the lively, alert percussion – have a high time of it in this toe-tapping work.

The mood changes again as we hop to the Isla de Margarita off Venezuela’s northern tip. Inocente Carreño’s symphonic variations Margariteña (composed in the same year as Castellanos’s suite) start with a distant horn call and mysterious strings, outlining the memorable main theme, but soon a mighty tutti hammers it home before the symphonic journey really begins to unfold, its majestic fortissimos suggesting the waves of the sea. But there are also moments of clucking woodwind that recall Sibelius (another composer who was absorbed by nature) in lighter mood. The ingenious transformations of the main theme, as well as other folk-like tunes, hold the listener’s attention throughout the work, and the lower brass have their moment in the spotlight with some solo work before the uplifting closing pages.

Back to the mainland, the journey takes us up the Orinoco river. Castellanos’s 1946 symphonic poem El Río de las Siete Estrellas (‘The River of the Seven Stars’) is inspired by the poet and politician Andrés Eloy Blanco, who told of Venezuela’s history in seven stages, from Indian lament, via conquest, Christianisation and war to longed-for freedom. It makes a neat continuation from Margariteña, as it opens with the very same motivic cell (and in the same key), but it’s a much more consciously episodic work, and Hindoyan and his players keep the narrative moving in thrilling style in the belligerent pages, while weaving some utterly magical textures in the quieter episodes.

By now we have headed westward, and Antonio Estévez’s 1942 Mediodía en el Llano takes us to the Venezuelan Plain of his childhood. The vastness of the landscape is evoked at the outset, with some wonderfully deployed dissonances suggesting the oppressive heat, the plangent woodwind cries softened by some beguiling horn writing. The surges in the quiet string tremolos add to the underlying feeling of midday exhaustion, but even here there are flashes of activity. This seven-minute work is a rarity on disc, and Hindoyan and the RLPO do it excellent service, relishing the score’s gently sensuous beauties.

Finally the journey takes us looping round eastwards to the ancestral jungle regions. Yuri Hung’s Kanaima (2004) is set in a region that contains ancient rock formations, and there’s something very elemental – almost primeval – in the compellingly insistent percussion writing, a sort of ancient dance in which every section of the orchestra gets to shine, but which is dominated by the brass and percussion. It caps a uniquely absorbing album, played by the RLPO as if they themselves were steeped in the history, culture and geography of Venezuela. Excellently recorded in Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall by a team headed by producer Andrew Cornall, it’s another impressive addition to Hindoyan’s growing discography.

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Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Music from the Americas Vol.1: Venezuela

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