This lively and enjoyable music will appeal to anyone who likes Manuel de Falla, particularly in his later, spikier period (think of the Harpsichord Concerto). Less well known than his brother Ernesto, Rodolfo Halffter emigrated to Mexico in 1939 (he was born in 1900) where he taught at the National Conservatory. The music here is wholly winning, in a Spain-meets-Stravinsky sort of way. Paquiliztli is a wonderful toccata for seven percussionists that never wears out its welcome. The two overtures and both ballet suites have a neo-classical flavor, but are full of evocative and ear-catching sonorities. I particularly enjoyed the piano writing in the Obertura concertante, as well as the gorgeous Nocturno in the La madrugada del panadera (The Baker's Dawn). The wedding scene from Don Lindo de Almería is also just lovely. The performances, sharp-edged but aptly so, are full of vigor and very persuasive, while the sonics, forward and slightly two-dimensional, are also clean and clear. I look forward to more in what promises to be an important new series.

--David Hurwitz