Ambar

Ambar, a chamber ensemble rooted in Paris, launched its first full-length release in 2010 via the Delos label with El Diablo Suelto, a collection devoted to South American dances. The group’s guiding force is violinist extraordinaire Sasha Rozhdestvensky, while its remaining members are the Colombian-born, classically trained colleagues Francisco Gonzalez on guitar and vocals, Nelson Gomez on guitarron, and Juan Fernando Garcia on percussion and flute. El Diablo Suelto draws on an array of regional forms—the Colombian bambuco and pasillo, the Venezuelan vals, the Brazilian choro, and the Colombian/Venezuelan porro and cumbia—while enlisting the Moscow Chamber Orchestra under conductor Constantine Orbelian, guitarist Joaquin Riaño, and mandolina player Ricardo Sandoval.