Silvestre Revueltas, who is often referred to as the “great free spirit of Mexican music,” was born on December 31, 1899. Despite his early training as a violinist, he eventually shifted his focus to conducting and composition. He worked as the Assistant Conductor for the Mexico Symphony Orchestra from 1929 to 1935 after being invited by Carlos Chávez. Additionally, he taught composition and violin at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City while also conducting the Conservatory Orchestra. During the Spanish Civil War, Revueltas showed his support for the Republican cause by conducting several of his orchestral works in Spain in 1937. Sadly, he died in October 1940 from pneumonia, which was exacerbated by alcoholism, at a young age of 40. However, during his last decade of life, Revueltas impressively produced almost 40 works in a mature and distinct voice that included 6 for full orchestra and 8 film scores. Although there was a lack of attention given to his music in the decades after his death, recent performances and recordings have helped bring his work back to the spotlight. One of his most remarkable pieces, La Noche de los Mayas, which requires 11 percussionists for its finale, has captivated audiences of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the American Composers Orchestra in recent years. Esa-Pekka Salonen's direction of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's all-Revueltas CD received the 1999 Diapason Award. In another recording by Koch International Classics, Gisèle Ben-Dor leads the Santa Barbara Symphony and the English Chamber Orchestra in Revueltas' last work La Coronela, along with Itinerarios and Colorines.
