Title: Annoyingly gimmicky
Product review: The recording contains nary an unadulterated string quartet track. Each recording is either electronically altered or features additional instruments, presumably native to Mexico. But, who can tell? The booklet contains no program notes--just 15 pages of unidentified images, presumably from South of the Border. Many of the tracks end with a faux "on location" soundscape. Did the album's producer imagine there was an audience for random street noises, laughter and snippets of conversation? I wanted music, not feeble attempts at sound collage. And then there's the music itself. While each piece was performed with undeniable zeal by Kronos, none of it, in my view, was the least bit memorable. The sole representative from the "classical" repertoire, the arrangement of Revueltas' Sensemaya, illustrated to me just how important the original orchestration is to the success of the piece. Ackk!
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