For Splendid’s foray into the highbrow art world this week we’ve chosen a double CD of electroacoustic music of impeccable quality by Sergio Barroso.

Beautifully packaged in a cardboard case [the OPAK box], Délirantes is an exquisite specimen of modern electronic art music. Mr Barroso is a composer of some renown and his output is certainly not limited to works electroacoustic. His purely acoustic works have been performed by august musical organizations worldwide. Indeed, as is often the case with successful ‘serious’ electronic music, the pieces on Délirantes benefit greatly from Mr. Barroso’s application of compositional techniques normally applied to acoustic pieces.

Concepts of orchestration and counterpoint, for example, are beautifully applied, creating the kind of glossy sheen that is indicative of well-crafted music. Aspects of the ethnic music of Cuba (the composer’s homeland) also inform Délirantes. The most obvious impact of this is in the rhythms — fiery, syncopated, evoking a kind of folksy organicism reminiscent of a village fiesta. For connoisseurs of fine experimental music I can heartily recommend Délirantes.