The Caminos del Inca, or Inca Trails, is a road network that traverses South America connecting lands and peoples. The area’s musical traditions are ancient and varied, taking in indigenous sounds as well as European influences, and the composers represented on this album have all been inspired by this musical legacy, the people of their homeland, and the land itself. The interconnections include late-Romanticism, folkloric dances, reinterpretation of popular music, mestizo (‘hybrid’) elements, Stravinsky-like primitivism, and music of simplicity and beauty that both captures and celebrates village life.

This unique programme of world premiere orchestral works is one with a mission. Based in Oslo, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize, conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra have sought to explore places that are not normally associated with symphonic music. It follows their February 2021 release Journeys (8574265), featuring music that represents every continent – from Europe and the Americas to Africa, Asia and Australasia.

The Norwegian Radio Orchestra’s recordings include works by Celso Garrido-Lecca (8573759), in which ‘Miguel Harth-Bedoya leads us to the tender heart of Garrido-Lecca’s music’ (Gramophone), and ‘You probably couldn’t ask for a more persuasive interpreter than Miguel Harth-Bedoya, who leads [in] wholly winning performances of all four pieces. This is the sort of release that makes you want to hear more’ (ClassicsToday.com).

Harth-Bedoya is a frequent guest conductor worldwide, both in concert halls and opera houses. In 2015 he conducted the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s first opera Cold Mountain at Santa Fe Opera, which was nominated for a GRAMMY Award.