Following up on their superb Villa-Lobos CD, Venezuelan conductor Jan Wagner and his fine Odense orchestra turn their attention to Ginastera, producing at a stroke the single most recommendable introduction to that composer's orchestral music. Most of the best-known and popular of the composer's tonal, Nationalist works have been gathered here in one convenient package (only the early ballet Panambi lacks representation). As with the Villa-Lobos disc, there's no questioning the conviction and idiomatic flair with which these performers attack these colorful and intoxicating pieces.

Wagner tends to prefer moderate tempos but never stints on giving the music the necessary rhythmic kick. This means that the Overture to the Creole Faust has more gravitas than usual, the Danza del trigo in Estancia greater poetry, and the outer movements of Pampeana No. 3 additional lyrical sweep and intensity. In the faster movements, such as Los guerreros on Ollantay or the irresistible final Malambo from Estancia, Wagner catches appealing details of instrumental color that other performances miss (the xylophone glissandos in the latter, for example). Toss in excellent sound, brilliant and alive but with plenty of depth, and you won't find a better planned, played, or recorded Ginastera collection anywhere. [5/24/2003]

--David Hurwitz