Un milagro de fe
Bridge, 2022
8/10
The debut recording of the Twin Cities choral ensemble Border CrosSing, these 5 pieces led by the Mexican-Egyptian conductor Ahmed Anzaldúa showcase the luminous readings of works of faith by Beatriz Bilbao, Ariel Ramirez's Misa Criolla, Mary Lou Williams's St. Martin de Porres, and selections from Osvaldo Golijov's La Pasión según San Marcos.
Beatriz Bilbao’s “Fiesta de San Juan” starts the listen with Border CrosSing’s percussion bringing a fury of drumming and percussive sounds to the gorgeous vocal harmonies in the 14+ minutes of bare and busy ideas. Ariel Ramirez’s “Misa Criolla” follows, and welcomes Matthew Valverde’s tenor and Ahmed Anzaldua’s piano to the textured, dreamy and cultured sounds.
The middle track, Mary Lou Williams’ “St. Martin de Porres”, showcases Kevin Gamble’s keys, Keith Yanes’ string bass and Nicolás Munoz’s percussion in the sublime, gospel friendly and even jazz flavored album highlight.
The final two tracks, “Eucaristía, from ‘La Pasion segun San Marcos” and “Demos Gracias”, are equally well thought out, where the former uses Bethany Battafarano’s expressive soprano for the bare climate, and the latter is initially as sparse, before building into a rumbling, nearly cinematic demeanor.
A first record that is nothing short of stunning, those with an ear for classical sounds, choral music, Latin-American ideas, and avant-garde moments will find much to adore here.
Travels well with: George Walker- Five Piano Sonatas; David Starobin- W.T. Matiegka's Six Sonatas, Op. 31