Saturdays at 7:00 pm
Explore the diverse traditions of Latin American and Iberian music.
Fiesta is a weekly classical music program devoted to Latin American and Iberian music from the 16th to 21st century, and brings artistically and historically significant compositions and artists to its listeners. Acclaimed composer, musician, and professor Elbio Barilari is your guide on this adventure through a rich musical landscape. We invite you to enjoy and learn about the lively, compelling, and rarely-heard treasures of Latino classical music from around the world. Interviews with composers, conductors, and musicians enrich the music. Previous guests on Fiesta have included Eduardo Fernández, Carlos Kalmar, Piotr Nawrot, and José Serebrier.
The player below includes a continuous three hour loop of the most recent Fiesta episodes to be joined in progress.
Superstring Theory
This program of Fiesta showcases music for string quartet and string instruments in different combinations. We will highlight some of Latin America’s most important and influential composers. Enjoy the vitality and beauty of rarely heard Latin American and Spanish string music.
Choros N.10 & N.12 – Masterpieces by Heitor Villa-Lobos
Continuing our exploration of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s monumental Choros series. Here we have the Choros N. 10 and N. 12 two of his symphonic tributes to this Brazilian musical style.
Choros N.11 – A Masterpiece by Heitor Villa-Lobos
The gargantuan Choros No.11, by Heitor Villa-Lobos is one of the most ambitious works ever written for the combination of piano and orchestra. We will feature this epic work in it’s entirety.
Gypsy Music and Gypsy Influences
Flamenco music has nurtured the inspiration of Spanish composers, even before Albéniz and continues to inspire composers of today.
Elbio’s Desert Island Picks
If you could only pick an hour of music to listen to the rest of your life, what would it be? Host, Elbio Barilari, will share with us some of his favorite music and composers.
Music from Venezuela
Venezuela has a wealth of concert music, from the romantic period and into the 21st century. Fiesta will bring its audience to a musical tour on Venezuelan musical history. From Teresa Carreño to Alfredo Rugeles, we will present over 150 years of rarely heard music.
Modern Harpsichord
The harpsichord sounds, to most ears, as an instrument exclusively related to music from the Baroque period. Spanish and Latin American composers from the 20th century, however, have written many pieces dedicated to the venerable instrument.
Esta Tierra Es Mi Tierra: Latino Composers Reflect on the American Experience
Both, US born Latino composers and composers that migrated from Latin America have written music reflecting the American experience in all its nuances.
Brazilian Gala
In this program of Fiesta we present a luxurious tribute to the most beloved Brazilian popular songs. Featuring the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Sao Paulo and Banda Mantiqueira performing traditional choros and sambas.
Postcards from South America
Natural, urban and human landscapes have inspired composers throughout history. Fiesta features some of the most fascinating postcards from South America. We will feature music from Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil!
Best of the Latino Music Festival 2016
The Chicago Latino Music Festival is the biggest of its kind, featuring world-class performers playing repertoire that from the Colonial period to the present, from soloist to chamber music to symphonic works and even opera and ballet.
A Living Tradition: Baroque Music from Bolivia
While European Baroque music and composers were falling out of fashion and new musical trends came in place, in a remote corner of Bolivia those traditions never died.
A Visit to Mexico
For thousands of years, Mexico has been at the forefront of civilization and music in the Americas. Elbio Barilari will guide this new excursion south of the border as we feature music from the 17th-21st centuries.
Bang the Drum: Latin American Percussion Music
The birth of “classical” percussion music has a name and a date: Amadeo Roldán, 1930. The seminal “Rítmicas” by this Cuban pioneer inspired Edgar Varèse to write his famous “Ionization” and a whole new musical field was born.
Music of the Night
Nocturnes have been composed since the 18th century. Even before the first nocturnes were written, the night and its attributes, like the moon and the stars, have been inspired musicians as well as poets and painters. These romantic endeavors have continued into the 21st century.
Latin American Composers You Should Know!
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Chávez, and Alberto Ginastera are the figureheads at the prow of the Latin American music ship. On this episode of Fiesta we go beyond those giants and feature other Latin American composers that you should know!
20th Century Masters
Latin America has long history of “concert” music that started in the 16th century. However, it is possible to say that the 20th has been THE century of Latin American music.
Easter 2017
Latin America has developed its own and strong Easter musical traditions. Fiesta pay visits to this deep and fresh water well of pieces and songs from different latitudes. Featuring Colonial Music from South America as well as Spain!
Flamenco Music
Spanish flamenco music has a rich tradition of blending the music from such diverse backgrounds as India, the Arab world, and the gypsies. In this hour we feature the many paths of flamenco from the pop world to the concert hall.
The Fiesta Time Machine
Fiesta goes back in time to present some of the best Latin American classical music from different eras. We will feature music from the Colonial, Romantic, and Contemporary eras of classical music and see how they all tie together.
