El Sur by Dónal Mac Erlaine

The title, El Sur, is taken from the film made by Victor Erice. This stunning film is based on the idea of dreaming of a place but never visiting it – and how the culture can travel by word of mouth. Within this paradox, we are led to believe magical things easily, as if being children once again. In a landscape that does not exist except in imagination anything can happen. I’m taken by the idea of traveling through music rather than in the physical sense, and all the imaginings that comes with that – the colours, feelings and tastes that one ‘sees’ when listening to a piece of music. Operating solely on the imagination we are more free than if restricted by physicality albeit if it happens only in the mind. As music is a pan-human phenomenon we can sympathize with others through the openness found in the experience of listening to music from other cultures. Not having been to the South American continent, but having fallen in love with its guitar music, I decided to record a selection of pieces (all dating from the Twentieth Century) exclusively from that area. The composers whose music features in El Sur represent many different ways of life and hail from Brazil, Haiti, Paraguay, Uruguay, Cuba and Argentina. Some are well known names, Astor Piazzolla, Heitor Villa-Lobos and some less known, Frantz Casseús and Abel Carlevaro. This recording does not use any overdubs, and was recorded primarily at home. This digital edition is and will always be available for free. Enjoy.

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