Alturas
keeps delighting audiences time and time again. The mini guitars
made of armadillo shells, musically-tuned reed pipes and hand carved
bamboo flutes are among the instruments that recreate the
Pre-Columbian and South American sounds presented by Alturas.
Alturas has enchanted audiences throughout Western United States,
Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia, with their authentic
costumes, instruments, and vocals bringing the sounds of South
America to life in the schools, colleges and concert halls.
Feature with Alturas is it’s multi-talented founder, Raúl Ayllón,
a native of La Paz, Bolivia. Ayllon has mastered more than 40
musical instruments. Those who watch him get amazed at his ability
to play native wind instruments (Quena - bamboo flute, Zampoña -
South American pan pipes) and the skill he plays the “Charango”
(small 10-string guitar like instrument with the shell of an
armadillo as the body). Raul has a unique style when he plays the
spanish guitars. Alturas continually adds to its repertoire of
international music and is joyous in sharing their heritage. Truly
this is a performance that will open your eyes, ears and hearts to
the richness and vitality of South American folk music.
The
Bulk of our repertoire is Bolivian and Peruvian folk music,
performed with all native instruments (i.e.. Quena, Zampoña,
Charango, etc.). These songs typify the mystical sound of the Andean
region, like in the well known song "El Condor Pasa" some songs are
sung in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara, which are the languages of the
region.
Traditional (Latin American)
We have included in our
repertoire several of the most popular traditional songs from each
of the countries in Latin America illustrating their unique style
and rhythms and using ethnic instruments of the area.
International Folk and Classical
We have adapted several
international favorites such as: "Malagueña" (Spain); "Meadow Land"
(Russia); "La Bamba" (Mexico), and without loosing our ethnic
identity, we have combined the classical world music with our native
style of playing by including classics such as: "Swan Lake" (Tchaikovsky), "Concert
of Aranjuez"(Rodrigo), "Lambada" (Bolivia), "Samba" (Brazil), etc.
Contemporary and New Age
Showing their
versatility and innovation, Alturas performs selections such as:
Theme from "The Mission", "Chariots of Fire"; as well as many of
their own compositions that reflect the New Age style as: "Como
Olvidar", "Wara", "Andean Reed", "Soleado" among others.
