The album features piano music from five Latin American nations: Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil.
Composer Biography
Ernesto Lecuona, a Cuban composer, was the son of a journalist from the Canary Islands, which reconnected Latin American music with Spanish sounds.
Compositional Technique
Alberto Ginastera, a prominent Argentine composer, categorized his own works into three stylistic periods: 'objective nationalism', 'subjective nationalism', and 'neoexpressionism'.
Performer Biography
Pablo Rojas, the pianist on this album, has won second prize twice at the National Colombian Piano Competition and has performed as a soloist with several orchestras.
Composer Biography
Ignacio Cervantes, a Cuban musician, met the famous American composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk in Havana at the age of seven, which motivated his parents to provide him with extensive musical training.
Historical Context
The piano, a European instrument, became a vehicle for national expression in Latin America during the 19th-century struggle for independence.
Interpretation
Pianist Pablo Rojas selected the pieces for this album not for musicological reasons, but to satisfy a personal desire to please his soul.
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Variants
Ponce, M.M.: Suite Cubana / 2 Etudes / 4 Danzas Mexicanas / Piano Sonata No. 2 / Rapsodia Cubana I / Scherzino / Preludios Encadenados
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