Cheap Spanish Missions of San Antonio (Music) (Terry Muska, Michael Fink Terry Muska , Michael Fink, Various) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Spanish Missions of San Antonio

Low anytime fare to San Antonio - just pop in this CD!
On this collection of popular Spanish guitar classics, two superb San Antonio musical artists capture perfectly the many moods of Texas' five beloved San Antonio missions. Guitarist Terry Muska's technically crisp, sensitive, yet not overly-sentimental style clearly establishes why he is one of the Lone Star State's most sought-after classical artists. Arranger Michael Fink's creative blending of imaginative digital embellishments - keyboards ranging from lyrical to regal to aggressive neo-funk (flashback to 'switched-on Bach'?), evocative militaristic horn effects, and thrilling percussion riffs, and oh! the bells! - are pleasantly surprising, delightful, yet consistently tasteful and appropriate. I. Albeniz' "Cordoba" begins our journey, evoking a sunrise approach to the Mission Trail across pristine rolling Texas countryside. Our next stop is pure fun: fiesta! at Mission San Juan to the accompaniment of "Sevilla: sevillanas", also by I. Albeniz. For every visitor to the Mission Trail one of these lovely limestone relics inevitably stands above the rest as a personal favorite; mine is the intimate and charming Mission Espada, whose spirit is perfectly expressed on track 3 (an arrangement of Catalan folksongs), right down to the melancholy, haunting chime of her sweet, ancient bells, just as I'd always imagined them. Each of the missions in turn is musically represented in this imaginative thematic approach, along with a special tribute to the San Antonio River herself via a fresh but faithful rendition of the enduring Spanish folksong "Romanza" (cut 4). For me, this cut also evoked strong, peaceful images of the acequia (aquaduct) - a portion of which still flows today - an engineering marvel which connected the missions and served as a source of water for irrigating the surrounding cultivated fields. Stirring variations on the traditional "La Folia" (cut 5) describe well the past grandeur of Mission San Jose - called the Queen of the Missions. Both "La Folia" and cut 6, the 11th century "Victimae Paschali Laudes" serve as vivid reminders of the original purpose behind the founding of these missions and make veiled reference to tensions simmering just below the surface as the long arm of the Inquisition reached far from its roots into this territory. Cut 7, "Albeniz' "Preludio", dramatically contrasts the two cultures which struggled fiercely to coexist within the walls of Mission Concepcion. And of course, what tour of San Antonio would be complete without a stop at Texas' most popular tourist attraction, the Alamo? It is here that Fink and Muska leave us to pause, in the heart of the city, with I. Albeniz' stirring "Asturias: leyenda" (cut 8), a fitting close to our special day along the Mission Trail. This cut serves as a reminder that San Antonio, while clearly a city deeply rooted in history, is also very much a city of today. Listeners familiar with these beautiful Texas shrines and the San Antonio Riverwalk will recognize echoes of their favorite places, while those who've yet to experience the charms of this historic Texas village-at-heart will enjoy a bargain-priced but memorable aural armchair tour. Fink's and Muska's synergistic blend demonstrates that they know their city and their craft intimately as they offer up the auditory equivalent of a perfect Texas day from sunrise to sunset - truly music to soothe and uplift the spirit. This collection will provide to the novice an easy introduction to the joys of classical Spanish guitar, but also deserves a prominent place in every classical music collection. Both the casual listener and the serious aficionado of classical guitar will find much to like on this CD. I am thoroughly enjoying it as I eagerly anticipate future releases by these two gifted collaborators. Y'all buy it now, y'hear?