Amadeo Roldán, Afro-Cuban Composer of Classical Works With Percussion, Born July 12, 1900

[Rítmicas; Tambuco Percussion Ensemble; Dorian 90245 (1997). Centenario Natalicio de Amadeo Roldan (Centennial of Birth of Amadeo Roldan) Cuba Stamp 2000

Amadeo Roldán (1900-1939) was an Afro-Cuban composer, violinist, conductor and professor. He was born in Paris to Cuban parents on July 12, 1900, we learn from Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, Professor at Lawrence University, whose website is http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com. Prof. De Lerma has compiled the complete works of Amadeo Roldán, which are featured at AfriClassical.com. He points out that Roldán's full name was Amadeo Roldán y Gardes. He also tells us Roldán was only 5 years old when he began studying the violin.

Roldán graduated from the Madrid Conservatory in 1916 after studying music theory and violin. He later took private lessons in composition from Conrado el Campo, according to Prof. De Lerma. The young musician also played the violin on tour in Spain. Prof. De Lerma continues: “He moved to Havana in 1919 and became a student of Pedro Sanjuan. In 1924 he became concertmaster of Havana's Orquesta Filarmonica and, following the death of Sanjuan, its conductor.”

Roldán was promoted to conductor of the Orquesta Filarmonica in 1932. Suite de La Rebambaramba (8:56) and Rítmica V (2:42) were recorded on CD by the New World Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, Argo 436 737 2 (1993). In the liner notes Simon Wright appraises Amadeo Roldán's role in the classical music of Cuba: “An enthusiastic conductor and composer, Roldán put 'serious' Cuban music on the map by primarily bringing Afro-Cuban rhythms and sounds to the concert hall. They were the inspiration behind the ballet La Rebambaramba (1827-28), based on a scenario by Alejo Carpentier depicting Havana's low-life on the day of Epiphany in 1830.”

Carol J. Oja writes in her book “Making Music Modern: New York in the 1920s”, Oxford University Press (2000), that the Pan American Association of Composers performed works of Amadeo Roldán and other Latin American composers at its March 1929 concert in New York. The Tambuco Percussion Ensemble has recorded Roldán's Rítmica V (2:14) and Rítmica VI (2:00), both composed in 1930, on the CD Rítmicas, Dorian 90245 (1997). The liner notes compare these to Edgar Varése's Ionisation.

Sharon Isbin Plays 'The Black Decameron,' Written For Her By Leo Brouwer, on May 7, 2010

[Leo Brouwer; Sharon Isbin (Photo, LoHud.com]]

LoHud.com

An ArtsRock trifecta

By Peter D. Kramer • May 2, 2010

“Sharon Isbin

The past six months have been a study in dream fulfillment for classical guitarist Sharon Isbin. In November, she played the White House, 20 feet from President Barack Obama. In January, she won her second Grammy Award — best instrumental soloist performance (without orchestra) — for her far-reaching album 'Journey to the New World,' a CD that represented another dream come true: working with her folk hero Joan Baez. Isbin will bring her guitar and considerable talents to Nyack for a solo concert that will include the 'Joan Baez Suite,' which was written for Isbin by the late British composer John Duarte. Isbin says Duarte used Baez's early works 'as a springboard to allow his own creative ideas to emerge.'" “She'll also perform a work that the great Afro-Cuban guitarist and composer Leo Brouwer wrote for her, the 17-minute-long 'The Black Decameron.'”

On Page 171 of A Concise History of the Classic Guitar, Graham Wade identifies the publisher of The Black Decameron as Editions Musicales Transatlantiques, Paris (1983). Wade writes:

“Of the above, El Decameron Negro (The Black Decameron), dedicated to Sharon Isbin, became one of the most frequently played. The three movements, (The Warrior's Harp, The Flight of the Lovers through the Valley of Echoes, The Ballad of the Maiden in Love), based on African stories collected by the anthropologist and writer, Leon Frobenius, elevated guitaristic impressionism to new levels of intensity...” [The Afro-Cuban guitarist, composer and conductor Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

YouTube: 1924 Edison Recording of 'La Bella Cubana' by José Silvestre White (1835-1918)

[José Silvestre White (1835-1918); photo from http://www.guije.com/libros/musical/white/f1.jpg]

'La Bella Cubana' (6:13) by the Afro-Cuban composer José Silvestre White (1835-1918) can be heard on a YouTube video: “An experimental recording in 1924 by Thomas Alva Edison.” "La Bella Cubana ‐ José White (composer)”. "La bella cubana", a Habanera, was originally written for two violins and piano."

"La Bella Cubano- Habanera

Performed by: El Trio Cubano - violins and piano 

Record format: Edison Diamond Disc test pressing 

Matrix number: 9717-A-1-1 

Recording date: September 18, 1924 

NPS object catalog number: EDIS 77575

This item is part of the collection: Open Source Audio

Author: El Trio Cubano

Date: 1924-00-00 00:00:00

Source: National Park Service

Creative Commons license: Public Domain"

[José Silvestre White, or José Silvestre White y Lafitte, was an Afro-Cuban violinist who became a composer and professor after graduating from the Paris Conservatory. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com. A full catalogue of José White's surviving compositions has been compiled by Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, Professor of Music at Lawrence University. It was published in Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall 1990, and can also be found on the José Silvestre White page of the website.]

The Modus Novus: Etude XX of Leo Brouwer is 'exceptionally organic in its architecture'

[Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

The Modus Novus

26 April 2009

Elision

“I have been preparing for this specific performance since I enrolled as a student of the USC Classical Guitar Department.” “The first part of the program features music that is very organic in it’s development. I often choose such repertoire because it requires an attention to well-paced expansion. This process mimics the 'growing with the repertoire approach', which is analogous to the organacism present in these pieces’ compositional structure. Cuban composer Leo Brouwer (b. 1939 Havana) writes from the perspective of a guitarist and composer who is concerned with exploiting motive, and intervallic relationships of his instrument (Rodriguez). I have programmed two of his solo pieces in my recital, Etude XX and XVII from his set of twenty Simple Etudes, Estudios Sencillos. In terms of form, these pieces have a ternary structure that functions within this concept of organic music development. In both Etudes, a theme is introduced, and then undulates through augmentation and diminution until a section of new thematic material is reached. This new material will, like the previous section, exist initially only to be subjugated through permutation. The middle section will provide the most severe contrast to the outermost sections. The final section recreates the now distant image of the opening material that got everything moving. A return to the familiar is in no way forced, and establishes an understood finality to the pieces structure. Etude XX contains a development section (B) to the ternary form (ABA’) that is this way is exceptionally organic in its architecture."  [Full Post] 

'El Decameron Negro' of Afro-Cuban Composer Leo Brouwer Featured at Fairbanks Recital

[The Black Decameron [El Decameron Negro]; John Williams, guitar; London Sinfonietta; Steven Mercurio, Conductor; Sony 63173 (1998)]

NewsMiner.com
Guitarist finds bliss in classical, combines varied influences

By Glenn BurnSilver

Published Friday, April 24, 2009

“Fairbanks — Classical guitarist Jason Vieaux has no pretensions about his place in classical music circles. He knows in order to maintain his place in the upper echelon of his craft he needs to practice frequently, while also pushing himself with challenging works.” “Vieaux comes to Fairbanks for two performances, a solo recital April 30, and a performance with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra Sunday, May 3.”

“Following a brief intermission, Vieaux will continue in similar vein with 'El Decameron Negro' by Afro-Cuban composer Leo Brouwer. This piece has three movements: El Arpa del Guerrero (The Warrior’s Harp); La Huida de los Amantes por el Valle de los Ecos (The Flight of the Lovers Through The Valley of Echoes); and Balada del Doncella Enamorada (Ballad of the Loving Maiden), and represents Brouwer’s classical, Afro-Cuban, jazz and avant-garde influences. It is 17 'challenging' minutes long.” [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Leo Brouwer Wrote 'Un Dia de Noviembre' for a 1972 Film by Humberto Salas

[A day in November; Adam Khan, guitar; Dinmore DRD052]

AfriClassical recently posted a research inquiry from Timothy Mahn, “Was Leo Brouwer's Guitar Work 'Un Dia de Noviembre' Originally Composed for Piano?”. Today Tim writes: Mr. Zick -- recently I requested information on Leo Brouwer's work. Apparently the information I received -- that 'Un Dia de Noviembre' had originally been composed for piano -- is erroneous. But I did get some interesting history on the piece from the Library of Congress. I thought you might be interested. Thanks! Tim Mahn”

James Wintle of the Music Division of the Library of Congress writes: “Mr. Mahn, Leo Brouwer’s popular guitar solo “Un dia de Noviembre” was not originally written for piano. The piece was in fact originally written for a 1972 Cuban film of the same name directed by Humberto Solás. The original instrumentation was for guitar accompanied by flute, bass, and percussion. In an interview with Mr. Brouwer conducted by Vladimir Wistuba-Alvarez in 1989 (citation below), Brouwer discusses the piece and explains that it was originally orchestrated and was then transcribed by him for solo guitar (Wistuba-Alvarez, p. 145).

The only published score that I have found is for solo guitar, which as you mentioned in your query is widely available. The interview listed below is entirely in Spanish. Wistuba-Alvarez, Vladimir. “Lluvia, Rumba y Campanas en los Paisajes Cubanos de Leo Brouwer y Otros Temas (Una conversacion con Leo Brouwer),” Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring – Summer, 1989), pp. 135-147. I am sorry that I was unable to locate a score from the original film version of “Un dia de Noviembre,” but given the political climate in Cuba in the early 1970’s it is no wonder that a copy was not acquired by the Library of Congress. I hope that this answers your query regarding Leo Brouwer’s music. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to write again.” [The Afro-Cuban composer, conductor and classical guitarist Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Amadeo Roldán's 'Ritmica No. V & No. VI' Performed by Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

[Centenario Natalicio de Amadeo Roldan (Centennial of Birth of Amadeo Roldan); Cuba Stamp 2000]

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) recently performed two works of the Afro-Cuban composer Amadeo Roldán (1900-1939), who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, during a percussion festival at Armstrong Park: 

Posted by Chris Waddington, Staff Writer,
The Times-Picayune April 11, 2009 12:00PM
“New Orleanians expect great drumming when they drop in at clubs or follow a second-line -- so why should it be any different with our resident orchestra? This past weekend, the LPO provided the triumphant centerpiece for a percussion festival in Armstrong Park, delivering a program of rarely heard 20th-century works, most of them by Latin Americans.

In percussion-only compositions, such as Carlos Chavez's "Toccata" and "Ritmica No. 5 and No. 6" by Amadeo Roldán, the LPO fielded up to a dozen musicians in batteries that included glockenspiel, snare drum, chimes, marimba, timpani, gong and scores of other struck instruments -- including an actual donkey's jawbone. The result was music of remarkable subtlety. Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto drew out the melodic lines and rich colors in these pieces while keeping a tight grip on dynamics.

Guitarist Anton Machleder Says of Leo Brouwer: 'He uses a lot of Afro-Cuban elements'

[Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)]

Renowned guitarist combines different music styles for performance

Hannah Tomlin, Daily Vidette Senior Staff

Illinois State University

Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Features

Renowned guitarist Anton Machleder, along with his violinist An-Chi "Angel" OuYang, stunned the audience with their extraordinary and colorful performance on the evening of March 2 in Kemp Recital Hall. Machleder has performed solo recitals and chamber music concerts across the United States. Under the instruction of Nicholas Goluses, he completed the DMA in guitar and music literature at the Eastman School of Music. In 1992, he performed at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as winner of the Artists International Competition. His articles have been published in numerous journals, including the American String Teacher, Extempore and Soundboard. He is currently teaching at the Greatbatch School of Music as an assistant professor and directs Red Creek Recording Studios in Rochester, New York.

The first piece he performed was "Estudios Sencillos" by Leo Brouwer, a composer, guitarist and music director from Havana, Cuba. Machleder said, "He uses a lot of Afro-Cuban elements. You can hear a lot of that rhythmic interplay in his music." The movements in this piece included "Movido," "Coral," "Rapido," "Comodo," "Allegretto" and "Arpegiando." Machleder's second piece, "Canticum," is also by Leo Brouwer. "It's a bit atonal. The rhythm is very free, as there are no bar lines," he said. "Eclosion," the first movement in "Canticum," can be defined as the emergence of an adult insect from a pupal case or an insect larva from an egg. The sounds throughout the movement depicted the struggle of the insect. The second movement was entitled "Ditirambo." Machleder described it as "sort of a Latin version of a Greek drinking dance." [Full Post] [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Tania León's 'Inura' Performed by DanceBrazil at NYU's Skirball Center March 19-22

[“Singin' Sepia” Bridge 9231 (2008)]

DanceBrazil presents a program including Inura, composed by Tania León, on four consecutive days, from Thursday, March 19 through Sunday, March 22: SkirballCenter.NYU.edu/ "DanceBrazil: World premiere of Inura featuring a contemporary fusion of Afro-Brazilian dance, live music, and Capoeira.”

DanceBrazil.org

“Presenting four performances of Inura at the Skirball Center with choreography by DanceBrazil guest artist Carlos Dos Santos and a commissioned score by Cuban-born composer and conductor Tania León; with Ritmos (2008), Vieira’s homage to Capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art unique to his home state of Bahia, and the Samba, Brazil’s iconic popular dance.” 

“Stay for a Q&A with the artists after the performance on March 20. Participants will include:

Jelon Vieira, Ritmos Choreographer & Artistic Director of DanceBrazil

Tote Gira, Ritmos Composer & Music Director for DanceBrazil

Carlos Dos Santos, Inura Choreographer

Tania León, Inura Composer

Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU

566 La Guardia Place (at Washington Square South)

New York, NY 10012    http://www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu” 

[Tania Justina León (b. 1943) is an Afro-Cuban composer and conductor of contemporary classical music who is profiled at AfriClassical.com Born in Havana, she is Director of Music Composition at Brooklyn College, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1985. Her website is: http://www.TaniaLeon.com/]

Leo Brouwer's Concertos for Guitar Are Among Those Neglected by Symphonies

[Leo Brouwer, Afro-Cuban Composer and Classical Guitarist]

James McQuillen argues that symphony performances of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez come at the expense of a great many excellent concertos for guitar, such as those of the Afro-Cuban composer Leo Brouwer.

OregonLive.com

Review: Symphony guitar piece no surprise, but it's splendid

by James McQuillen, Special to The Oregonian 

Sunday February 08, 2009, 3:20 PM
Given that classical guitarists rarely turn up on the average symphony program, and given also that Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" is unquestionably a masterpiece, it would be churlish to complain about a guitarist joining the Oregon Symphony for the "Concerto de Aranjuez," right? Maybe so, but I'd like to register a complaint on behalf of the rest of the repertoire.

When orchestras engage guitarists, there's a pretty good chance they'll perform Rodrigo. True, the last time Christopher Parkening came to Portland, he didn't play the "Concerto de Aranjuez" -- he played the second-favorite Rodrigo warhorse, the "Fantasia para un gentilhombre." Symphony people, there are plenty of guitar concertos out there crying for your attention. The Cuban composer Leo Brouwer has written nearly a dozen. Sharon Isbin featured two recent examples, by Christopher Rouse and Tan Dun, on her terrific 2001 concerto CD. Leo Kottke and Stephen Paulus collaborated on one, incorporating Kottke's folk- and blues-rooted music into the orchestral idiom. How great it would be to hear this music. [Full Post] [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Music of Afro-Cuban Composer Leo Brouwer Included in 'Living Composers Concert' Nov. 23

Wicked Local Rockland

South Shore Conservatory presents 'Living Composers Concert' Nov. 23

Thu Nov 20, 2008, 12:34 PM EST

“Duxbury - South Shore Conservatory’s Contemporary Music Month concludes the first portion of its 2008-2009 Conservatory Concert Series with a special ‘Living Composers Concert’ on Sunday Nov. 23, at 4 p.m. at the Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George St., Duxbury.” “This ambitious musical event will further include works composed by Richard Rodney Bennet, a British composer renowned for his film scores and his jazz performances, and Leo Brouwer, a Cuban composer who includes among his work a large number of solo guitar pieces, several guitar concertos and over forty film scores. Performers at the concert will include Donald Zook – Flute, Regina Yung – Piano, Stephen Deitz – Piano, John Kramer – Piano, Lorna Jane Norris – Voice and George Little - Guitar  There will be a wine and cheese reception where you can meet the composers and the performers immediately following the concert. Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.sscmusic.org. For information, contact Amy Schomp at 781-749-7565 ext. 19, or at a.schomp@sscmusic.org. [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Ana Milosavljevic Performs Premiere of Work for Violin and Percussion by Tania León

[“Singin' Sepia” Bridge 9231 (2008)]

Sequenza21.com
"Serbian-American Violinist Ana Milosavljevic Celebrates Women Composers

Contemporary violinist Ana Milosavljevic showcases some of today’s top women composers at TheTimesCenter (242 West 41^st Street), Friday, October 24th, at 8:00pm. An enthusiastic performer, Milosavljevic premieres four new works for violin combined with electronics, video, dance, and other various stage elements, as well as special guest artists. In addition to sonic representations portraying the rich culture and music of Serbia by Serbian-American composers, other program highlights include works by two of the most vital female personalities on today’s new music scene - a world premiere by Tania León, and Eve Beglarian’s Wolf Chaser (1995).  
http://www.ana-violin.com

"Violinist Ana Milosavljevic at TheTimesCenter (242 W 41st Street at 8^th Avenue). Train A/C/E/1/2/3/7/S to Times Square. Friday, October 24^th at 8:00pm. Tickets $20 in advance/$25 at the door. $15 Students. To purchase, visit TheTimesCenter at http://www.thetimescenter.com or call 1.800.272.9533. October 18th, 2008." Tania Justina León (b. 1943) is an Afro-Cuban composer and conductor of contemporary classical music who is profiled at AfriClassical.com.  Born in Havana, she is Director of Music Composition at Brooklyn College, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1985. Her website is http://www.TaniaLeon.com/ 

Afro-Cuban Composer Tania Justina León and Finnish Cellist Juho Laitinen Perform May 15

Interpretations is excited to present two movers-and-shakers in the international New Classical scene. Both León and Laitinen are world-travelers and new music thrill-seekers, tirelessly promoting their works and performing the works of others for new audiences and die-hard fans around the globe. Ask them where they’ve been lately.

A rising star on the new music scene, Finnish cellist Juho Laitinen returns to New York with a solo program featuring his fellow Finns Tapio Tuomela, Kaija Saariaho, and Jukka Tiensuu, plus a brand-new work from Brooklyn composer Michael Rose.

The celebrated composer and conductor Tania Justina León (b. 1943) presents an evening of recent chamber works: a new foray into live musician+electronics and two song cycles with texts by Margaret Atwood and Derek Walcott.

Featuring: Airi Yoshioka, violin; Elizabeth Farnum, soprano; Adam Kent, piano; Diana Herold, marimba. Thursday, May 15 at 8pm. Roulette: 20 Greene Street (between Canal and Grand). General admission: $15 ($10 students, seniors, Harvestworks & DTW members; free for Roulette and Location One members). For reservations, call 212-219-8242.

Tania Justina León is an Afro-Cuban composer and conductor of contemporary classical music. Born in Havana, she is Director of Music Composition at Brooklyn College, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1985.

Chile Welcomes Cuba's Leo Brouwer, Afro-Cuban Guitarist, Composer & Conductor

[Concierto de Volos (28:01); Orquesta de Cordoba; Leo Brouwer, Conductor; GHA Records 126.025 (1998)]

Cuban composer, guitarist and orchestra conductor Leo Brouwer is currently in Chile to receive a tribute from the people and authorities of the South American nation.

For two weeks, the author of emblematic scores of Latin American vanguard music of the twentieth century, will teach classes, conduct a concert of pieces by him, and receive the Pablo Neruda Artistic and Cultural Order from President Michelle Bachelet.

"I'm very excited, as this is my first visit to Chile," said Brouwer, 68, shortly after arriving to Pudahuel Airport.

On Tuesday, December 4, the distinguished musician will perform in a one time only concert that will also include two other Cuban musicians, flautist Niurka Gonzalez and guitarist Joaquin Clerch.

Chilean music critics have compared Brouwer's visit to the one in 1960 by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. The El Mercurio newspaper reported that Brouwer's program in Santiago de Chile is having the same effect on music loving Chileans as the visit by Stravinsky, author of The Rite of Spring.
(CubaNews)

[Leo Brouwer is profiled on AfriClassical.com]