Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940)

Kate Molleson sheds light on the forgotten composer, Silvestre
Revueltas


Silvestre Revueltas was a blazingly energetic and politically
charged musician, a whirlwind of a composer who lived through a
time of great political and creative upheaval in Mexico. The
French writer André Breton was stunned when he visited the
country and found not one unified identity, but many strikingly
different cultures existing side by side with all of their
clashing values, creeds, and customs. This kaleidoscopic and
sometimes jarring world is the musical universe of Revueltas, one
of a generation of artists who, along with Frida Kahlo and Diego
Rivera, tried to encompass a true sense of Mexican identity in
their works after the country’s revolution. In his personal life
Revueltas also lived a life of fiery extremes, before succumbing
to an early death exasperated by alcoholism. This week, Kate
Molleson tries to shed some light on this forgotten composer,
guiding us through the rhythms of Silvestre Revueltas’s colourful
life with the help of Professor Alejandro Madrid of Harvard
University. They track Revueltas’s moves from revolutionary
Mexico, to prohibition-era America, to the trenches of the
Spanish Civil War, and back to his homeland. Although most of
Revueltas’s works date from the final decade of his short life,
it is music which bursts with energy, colour, and humour. It is
music which speaks with irony and passion about politics and
people, about both the joys and hardships of life. It is music
that speaks of Mexico.


Music Featured:


Toccata (sin fuga) Esquinas (1931 version) Tierra p’a las macetas
Pieza para doce instrumentos La Noche de los Mayas – Suite (1st
& 2nd mvts) Colorines Batik Cuauhnahuac String Quartet No 4
“Musica der Feria” Planos Redes (exerpts) Ventanas Janitzio
Musica para Charlar I. Canto a muchacha negra El Renacuajo
Paseador Second Little Serious piece Homenaje a Federico García
Lorca Caminos Itinerarios Cinco canciones de ninos Este era un
rey Ocho x radio 3 Sonetos La Noche de los Mayas – Suite (3rd
& 4th mvts) La Coronela (excerpt) Sensemaya


Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Sam Phillips for BBC Audio
Wales & West


For full track listings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Silvestre Revueltas
(1899-1940) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00213ln


And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z