Strong musical culture: New recordings by violinist Tomás Cotik and Portland Youth Philharmonic.
Several pieces (for example, Chin Chin and Suite Troileana) exude an intoxicating mix of peppy and sultry passages. Now and then Cotik spices things up with a whistle-like glissando, and his artistry and immaculate technique is on display in each piece of the album. There are numbers (for example, Resurrección del Ángel) that dwell for quite a while in a languorous and mellow balm before breaking into a uptempo ending. Soledad stays in a wistful, melancholy mood throughout. Las cuatro estaciones porteñas delightfully weaves scratchy sounds with whistling glissandos, wiggling sonic cascades, playful melodies, and a propulsive rhythmic drive. It’s the kind of sonic journey that makes this listener want to catch the next flight to Buenos Aires.