Julián Orbón was born in Avilés in the northern Spanish region of Asturias, but spent much of his life in Cuba, heavily involved with the promotion of Cuban musical nationalism. Although he finally settled in New York, Orbón retained his Spanish nationality, considering himself Asturian, Spanish and Cuban. The masterfully orchestrated works on this recording embrace an eclectic yet unique mix of styles, with special emphasis on orchestral colour, rhythmic drive and variation. They include references to Spanish music, from Gregorian Chant and Luis de Milán to Falla, combined with Latin-American sounds and rhythms (the Symphonic Dances conjure up vistas of Mexican coasts and Venezuelan plains), and, in the final movement of the Three Symphonic Versions of 1953, perhaps Orbón’s best known work, to a Congolese rhythmic ostinato.