This 1932 symphonic poem sounds as if it were scored for a larger ensemble than chamber orchestra, thanks to Revueltas' liberal use of percussion to mark and sharpen the complex rhythms; credit also goes to writing that creates thick melodic and harmonic textures with comparatively few instruments. The colors here (suggested in the title) are exceptionally bright, with prominent use of the woodwinds, especially the piccolo. Passages of a ritualistic ecstasy, inspired by Mexican and Indian folklore, surround a section of tender, meditative lyricism. At once vibrant and shrill, primitive-sounding yet technically sophisticated, Colorines (Colors) is a fairly early example of Revueltas in bad-boy mode. It's a bratty jumble of Mexican heritage and progressive technique, and an excellent slice of the brash, somewhat populist postmodernism that attracted audiences to Revueltas anew at the end of the twentieth century. The work was written in the midst of the composer's stint as assistant conductor of the Mexico Symphony Orchestra in Mexico City, and its facility of orchestration may owe something to his immersion in that environment.

© James Reel, All Music Guide