Japanese label releases new album by Venus Rey Jr, recorded in Italy

Binational Mexico–Italy Project

Mexico City / Osaka, February 24, 2026

The Japanese record label Da Vinci Classics, based in Osaka, has just released a new monographic CD by Mexican composer Venus Rey Jr, recorded entirely in Italy. This marks the fourth album by the composer issued by the label from Japan, consolidating an artistic collaboration that has developed steadily over the past several years.

The album brings together three representative works from his recent catalog:

• Bachiana Mexicana No. 5 “Sandunguita chueca”, for strings, timpani, and solo violin
• Four Mexican Pieces, for solo violin
• String Quartet No. 1 “Jewish”

“The fact that a Japanese label publishes music deeply rooted in Mexican cultural tradition, yet written in a contemporary language, confirms for me that music can cross borders without losing its identity,” says Venus Rey Jr. “This album encapsulates several of my ongoing explorations: memory, cultural mestizaje, and the dialogue between past and present.”

This Binational Mexico–Italy Project originated from an invitation by the Pythagora’s Orchestra, based in Calabria, Italy, and from the artistic collaboration between the composer and Italian violinist Gianfrancesco Federico, who performs as soloist and concertmaster on the recording.

“Venus’s music presents significant technical challenges, but above all it demands total emotional commitment,” affirms Federico. “Each work has a very clear and honest voice; as a performer, my task was to respect that discourse and push it to its expressive limits.”

The recording took place in December 2024 at the Convento delle Domenicane di Santa Maria del Rosario in Cosenza, Italy. The album features Gianfrancesco Federico (solo violin), the Pythagora’s Orchestra conducted by Venus Rey Jr, and a string quartet composed of Gianfrancesco Federico (first violin), Angelina Perrotta (second violin), Benedetta Santelli (viola), and Angelo Federico (cello).

Bachiana Mexicana No. 5 “Sandunguita chueca” is a four-movement work that fuses musical forms from the Baroque era with elements of Mexican music and the arts. It includes a Spanish-rooted Passacaglia, a nostalgic movement titled Saudade, an asymmetrical reinterpretation of La Sandunga—conceived as a tribute to Frida Kahlo—and a Calabrian Tarantella of great rhythmic drive and instrumental virtuosity.

Four Mexican Pieces for solo violin, composed in February 2023 and dedicated to Gianfrancesco Federico, is a highly virtuosic work that explores the intersection of national identity and personal expression, integrating rhythmic asymmetries, modal inflections, and lyricism inspired by various strands of Mexican folk traditions.

“Here the violin is not merely a melodic instrument; it becomes a narrative voice, almost theatrical,” comments Federico. “It is a work that compels you to think, feel, and breathe as a Mexican—even if you are not one.”

String Quartet No. 1 “Jewish” stands as one of the composer’s most personal statements. Inspired by the musical and spiritual traditions of the Jewish people, the work reimagines Yiddish, Sephardic, and klezmer languages within a contemporary and distinctly individual discourse. A recurring motif functions as a leitmotif, binding the four movements into a single narrative of profound emotional depth.

“More than a programmatic work, this quartet is a reflection on collective memory and human resilience,” concludes Venus Rey Jr. “It is music that looks to the past in order to challenge the present.”

With this release, Da Vinci Classics reaffirms its commitment to internationally oriented contemporary music, while Venus Rey Jr further consolidates his presence in the global recording landscape.

The physical album has been available since February 27 on the Da Vinci Classics website and in digital stores, and will be available on all streaming platforms starting March 13.

Photos: Gianfrancesco Federico, Venus Rey Jr, Pythagora’s Orchestra