“It is like giving a soul to things that have been lost,” declares Lucía Caruso, artistic director and co-founder with her husband Pedro H. da Silva of the chamber ensemble Manhattan Camerata. She is speaking of one of their most recent projects: composing and recording original scores for two early 1900s silent films by pioneering French filmmaker Goerges Méliès.” 

Caruso and da Silva have created a score which conveys both the martial and spiritual themes of the piece, and they have skillfully managed the transitions—which are rather abrupt in the film—from scene to scene, smoothing these over and creating a seamless whole.

The Manhattan Camerata plays with finesse and passion; the Voices of the Ascension navigate the complex textures and harmonies of the score effortlessly, and the sound engineering cleverly creates a far larger soundscape than the realities of the numbers. Overall, this is a masterful creative effort and one which some recording firm should decide to issue on DVD, both for its innovative film values and its masterful music.

Directly from New York, the Mendoza native Lucia Caruso and Pedro H. da Silva come to Mendoza to present their acclaimed work 'Transclassical Rock,' alongside the Baroque Orchestra of Mendoza.

The composers chose wisely…in not trying to compose music that sounds as if it were written in 1902. They were equally wise in not making it too modern, or dependent in any way on “spacey” electronic effect.

This is a good example of film music that supports the film very well—it doesn’t compete with the images.

[…] da Silva and Caruso […] have used a chamber ensemble and chorus that brings us grippingly into Joan’s life, and at the same time wrote a through-line for their score that perfectly suits the subject matter.

The resulting score is a gem, fulfilling the classic tradition of Hollywood scoring in its emotional excitement and uplift while also incorporating the dignity of a classical music background.

Jeanne d’Arc has no title cards or scene transitions, and da Silva and Caruso appropriately change color and mood quickly while using motifs to provide continuity. Altogether, their ingenuity and musical talents have added a new dimension to Méliès’s art, coming as close to restoring the wonder of early cinema as we are likely to get.

Coupling this video with the newly scored Jeanne d’Arc on a commercial release would not only preserve Caruso and da Silva’s fascinating musical accomplishment, but would serve to honor two masterpieces of early cinema and win for them modern audiences.

Once again the Manhattan Camerata demonstrates its elegance and versatility, and the sound engineering magnifies the impact of the 16-person choral ensemble to lend another, more encompassing dimension.

It’s very welcome that da Silva and Caruso have added such a large measure of delight to the viewing experience and, as with their score for Jeanne d’Arc, this one is well worth hearing on its own, too.

[…] Caruso delivered a wonderfully witty and loving account of Mozart's comparatively rarely-performed Piano Concerto in C, K415. This has long been an OOTS favourite, with a CD recording by Mark Bebbington, and here it came up fresh and new, Caruso's hands well-balanced and articulate, and delivering some delightful spontaneous interjections.

But the greatest joy was the little encore from Caruso and da Silva, a set of variations on the ancient La Folia bass-line, jointly composed by the couple and featuring Caruso's piano and da Silva's fascinating Portuguese guitar. [...] Within a handful of minutes we moved through half a millennium of musical history, and a good time was genuinely had by all on both sides of the stage.

"Hearing their Tango Fado Project CD, it’s the visceral impact of this powerful, dramatic, soulful music that seduces and transfixes the listener."

"The music here is wistful and smoky at times, sensual at other times, and dark and even tragic at others. The performances are technically superb and emotionally gripping, virtually ideal."

"[The Manhattan Camerata] seeks to expand the classical genre by incorporating elements from different cultures around the world in a variety of styles. The diverse backgrounds of the Camerata’s musicians point out the group’s eclectic and inclusive nature."

"The arrangements of these pieces are intricate and play to the strengths of the ensemble, allowing for a rich palette of instrumental textures and moments of virtuosic playing, especially by the guitar, bandeón, and piano."

"Among the highlights are Pires’s singing of Minha Lisboa Guerida by Carlos Gardel with its hints of Moorish melody, the lively dance tempo of Viejo Buenos Aires Tango by Raoul Portela, Lucia Caruso’s complex Modernist composition Tanguito Cordobes with da Silva’s supple playing on the Portuguese guitar, and da Silva’s own composition Non- Absolutist Universal Anthem with its dexterous guitar parts. And then Piazzolla’s Suite Troileana, which allows all the resources of the soloists and the Manhattan Camerata to come together and play with passion, crowns the recording."

"It isn’t about presenting a genre, or two, with custodial seriousness. It’s more like introducing two of your friends to each other at a party, knowing that they have commonalities, and being delighted when you see them hit it off. The pleasure is both theirs and ours. Recommended!"

"Of all the discs I have been sent by this august publication of this kind (that is, ones that include tango and/or fado) this is by far the finest from every angle."

"This disc breathes life, while taking on an important exploration of the relationship between two related forms, tango and fado. Even if you think you don’t like this type of music, it is worth trying. If any disc can win you to their cause, this is it."