The progress of Spanish colonization in the New World through the 16th and 17th century was such that during the Baroque Era the state of classical music was more advanced in Latin America than it was up north. This ambitious collection of vocal pieces by the Venezuelan early music group Camerata Renacentista de Caracas shows the geographical breadth, if not the stylistic variety, of the Latin American baroque with composers, nearly all of Spanish birth, who were based in Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. Many of the selections are villancicos, a ubiquitous Spanish poetic form from the 15th century which lent itself to music, often with instrumental accompaniment, both secular and sacred: in the latter development, of which there are several examples here, it became a type of Christmas carol. By and large this is lovely and invigorating music, given alert and agile performances.
