Carlos Chávez (1899-1978) was born in Mexico City, and began to study piano in 1910. He was self-taught in composition, analyzing the classical works, then began to compose himself in 1918. He composed his first Mexican Ballet, THE NEW FIRE, in 1921, then found himself directly concerned with the vital energies of his own country after. His SYMPHONY No. 5 for string orchestra was written in 1953 and commissioned by the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation with a dedication to the Memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky. A count of 8-8-5-5-5 strings are included in the set.