Dominique-René de Lerma on Havana String Quartet: 'we have yet another definition of contemporary music'

[The Havana String Quartet Leo Brouwer - The String Quartets - String Trio; Zoho Classix ZM 201 108 (2011)]

Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is an Afro-Cuban classical guitarist, composer and conductor who is featured at AfriClassical.com. We have discussed the CD of The Havana String Quartet, Leo Brouwer - The String Quartets - String Trio, which won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording in November 2010.

Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com, provides us with his review of the recording:

“An initial contact with the music of Leo Brouwer (1939- ) is enough to convince any listener that this composer is quite distinct from his contemporaries. Most of the previously available recordings (there are many) offer new insights into the potentials of the guitar. But now we have yet another definition of contemporary music with this CD, Zoho Classix ZM 201 108 (2011) by the superb Cuarteto de Cuerdas de la Habana paying tribute to Brouwer's 70th year.

“The liner notes (English and Spanish) are substantial and properly laudatory, but there is no explanation why Au clair de la lune is quoted or those ghostly fragments culled from the past, why a percussion (wood block?) appears, as well as the players counting (in English), or those jazz moments. Maybe because of politics, we do not have evidence of the composer's relationship to his Cuban heritage. To identify some kinship to Bartók (to whom the first quartet is dedicated) does not diminish the works' originality. The intensity of introspection equates not only that of Bartók, but also late Beethoven. Here then is a valid stimulus for a monograph and most welcome addition to the repertoire.”

Prensa Latina: 'Leo Brouwer to Preside Guitar Festival in Sao Paulo' Oct. 21 – Nov. 4

[Maestro Leo Brouwer]

Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is an Afro-Cuban classical guitarist, composer and conductor who is featured at AfriClassical.com:

“Havana, Sep 29 (Prensa Latina) Cuban composer and conductor Leo Brouwer will travel to Brazil at the end of October to preside the 3rd Guitar Festival named after him. Cuban musicologist and director of the Leo Brouwer Office, Isabelle Hernàndez told Prensa Latina that Leo will conduct the Sao Paulo municipal orchestra in two symphonic concerts.” “The festival will be held from October 21st to November 4th...”

Prensa Latina says other participants include the Cuban duo Ondina, comprised of flautist Niurka Gonzales and pianist Maria del Henar Navarro, and the Dutch musician Alexandre Gismonti.

Prensa Latino continues:

“After participating in the festival, the Cuban musician will travel to Cordoba, Spain to attend the celebration of the first anniversary of the Leo Brouwer Young Philharmonic Orchestra, made up by students from southern Spain.”

Leo Brouwer: 'This recording won the LATIN GRAMMY for Best Classical Recording in November 2010!'

[Leo Brouwer: The String Quartets and String Trio; The Havana String Quartet; ZOHO Music ZM 201108 (2011)]

Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is an Afro-Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor who is featured at AfriClassical.com. Leo Brouwer wrote the liner notes for the CD:

“This recording won the LATIN GRAMMY for Best Classical Recording in November 2010!” “Leo Brouwer (Havana, 1939), composer, orchestra conductor, guitarist, researcher and pedagogue, is one of the most important and fascinating figures in international classical music today. His first real teacher Isaac Nicola was a pupil of Emilio Pujol (1886-1980) who in turn had been a pupil of Francesca Tárrega (1852-1909). To further his musical education, he studied composition at the Juilliard School in Manhattan with Vincent Persichetti, Stefan Wolpe, Isadore Preed, J. Diemente and Joseph Iadone. He also studied classical guitar at Hartt College in Hartford, Connecticut.

“The First Quartet, written in 1961 is dedicated 'In Memory of Bela Bartok.'” “The four movements are designed in a cyclical form, and the work is developed utilizing a symmetrical concept of rhythm, sonority and harmony. At this early moment in Brouwer's composing career, the First Quartet identified him as one of he most important and original composers in Latin America; for it, he was awarded First Prize in the 1963 National Composition Competition in Cuba.”

The movements are:

1 Energico 1:52

2 Allegretto 3:47

3 Lento 8:26

4 Finale (Vivace) 5:59

“The Second Quartet [6:17] (1968) titled 'Rem Tene Verba Sequentur' (Know the Matter and the Word will follow) is a work where the composer investigates the world of aleatoric music and improvisation.”

“The String Trio was written in 1959 while Leo Brouwer was studying at the Juilliard School as a scholarship student of Vincent Persichetti. The movements are:

Introduction – Rhythmic and precise 1:01

Allegro 2:21

Moderato e Calmo 3:25

Interludio – Adagio Molta 3:37

Finale – Allegro Giocoso (based on a Classical Theme) 4:14

“In the Fourth Quartet, 'Rem Tene Verba Sequentur II (2007 – World Premiere Recording) [13:11], the composer adds technical resources found in the Second and Third Quartets and expresses it in a more condensed form. Through the use of improvisation and the composer's suggestions of certain fragments found in music's universal repertoire, the listener is presented with a single movement that imitates the flavor of popular music in Cuba.”

“The Third Quartet (1991-97) has four movements whose titles are very descriptive.”

Ritual Voice for New Year's Eve 5:11

Through the Body of the Wind 5:07

Impossible Dance 6:04

The Rhythm of the Night Changed 4:31

“The Havana String Quartet was founded in 1980 on the initiative of Leo Brouwer. The group is known for its unique, cross-cultural repertoire, and its accomplishments in a variety of musical styles.” The members are: Yamir Portuondo, 1st violin; Eugenio Valdés, 2nd violin; Jorge Hernández, viola; Deborah Yamak, cello, born in Beirut, Lebanon. The CD was recorded in Cordoba, Spain in 2008. The website of the Havana String Quartet is: http://www.cuartetodecuerdasdelahabana.com

“The HSQ has performed contemporary chamber works by composers such as Toon de Leeuw, I. Land, Barce, Villarojo and Tomás Marco, but the group's particular strength and talent has been dedicated to Latin American composers such as Revueltas, Ginastera, Villa-Lobos, Manuel Enriquez Garrido-Lecca and of course, Leo Brouwer.”

Bermuda's Royal Gazette: Adam Brown says Leo Brouwer's 'Landscape with Bells' is 'a sound painting...of cowbells'

[Leo Brouwer]

The Royal Gazette Online

Bermuda

From Latin America, to jazz and modern classical music, Adam Brown does it all

Published Jun 1, 2011

"Adam Brown at the Bermuda Guitar Festival 2011

St Andrew’s Church Friday’ May 27"

“A brilliant performance of Cuban Leo Brouwer’s (1939 - ) ‘Landscape with Bells’ started the second half. Adam explained that this was a sound painting in which Brouwer was conveying the random sounds of cow bells in the meadows around his home. It’s quite an experience.

"Brouwer brings all sorts of percussive and unusual techniques into the piece, including re-tuning the guitar, left hand plucking and harmonics. The result is a continually changing and shifting sound, sometimes building and then fading, perfectly conveying the utter peacefulness of random sounds of animals as they move and graze in the landscape." [The Afro-Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

NYTimes.com: Odair Assad 'undaunted' by Leo Brouwer’s 'Sonata del Caminante'

[Leo Brouwer]

The Afro-Cuban composeer, guitarist and conductor Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com

NYTimes.com

Music Review

“A Soulful, Virtuosic Player Holding the Spotlight Alone

By Allan Kozinn

Published: February 14, 2011

The Brazilian guitarist Odair Assad performs mostly as half of the Assad Brothers, and though his older brother, Sérgio, has pursued an independent musical life as a composer, arranger and player, Odair, until recently, seemed disinclined to build a solo career.

“His recital at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sunday afternoon made his reticence hard to understand. Not that his technical polish and strong interpretive intuition were surprising. It has long been obvious from the duo’s recordings and concert performances that both the Assads are virtuosic, soulful players. But even though their fraternal bond and, as they have told interviewers, 10 hours of daily practice have helped them cultivate unusual ensemble fluidity, duet performance inevitably requires a measure of personal interpretive restraint.

“Freed of that restraint, Odair Assad proved a remarkably elastic player. In Agustín Barrios’s 'Chôro da Saudade' and Villa-Lobos’s Chôro No. 1, he emphasized the rhythmic freedom inherent in this quintessentially Brazilian popular form, a quality often lost, or at least compromised, in classical performances. Villa-Lobos’s Prelude No. 3 and Étude No. 10 were similarly unbuttoned: Mr. Assad’s phrasing is highly personalized, with extreme rubato and articulation so varied as to sound almost improvised.

“Leo Brouwer’s broad-boned 'Sonata del Caminante' was the program’s most involved work, and Mr. Assad, for whom it was written, was undaunted by its contrapuntal thickets. And he gave a spellbinding performance of Kevin Callahan’s 'Red Fantasy,' an inviting study in chordal melodies, speedy single lines and occasional bent pitches.”

Guitarist John Williams Performs Leo Brouwer's 'El Decameron Negro' at Cerritos Center Oct. 20

[Leo Brouwer]

John Malveaux of MusicUNTOLD tells AfriClassical this news of the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, http://www.cerritoscenter.com/, located in the City of Cerritos in Los Angeles County, California:

“Please see the upcoming performance of a Leo Brouwer composition. Check out the spectacular attractions coming later this month to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA)!

Grammy-winning guitarist John Williams launches the CCPA's 2010-2011 Recital Series with a concert on Wednesday, October 20 at 7:30 PM. The program consists of Heitor Villa-Lobos – Five Preludes; Leo Brouwer – El Decameron Negro; Francis Bebey – O Bia; Williams – From a Bird (Nos. 1, 2, and 3) and Hello Francis; and Agustín Barrios Mangoré – La Catedral, Julia Florida, Vals No. 3; Vals No. 4; and Sueño en la Floresta.

"Subscriptions to the Recital Series – which also features pianist Martina Filjak, violinist Ryu Goto, and pianist André Watts – are available for a limited time." [Pianist André Watts will perform at the Cerritos Center on March 23, 2011. The Afro-Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Afro-Cuban Composers Leo Brouwer & Tania León Nominated for Latin Grammy Awards

[Leo Brouwer & Tania León]

Afro-Cuban Composers Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) and Tania León (b. 1943) are profiled at AfriClassical.com. Recordings by both were nominated yesterday for the Latin Grammy Awards. Leo Brouwer's Integral Cuartetos De Cuerda [Complete String Quartets] was nominated for Best Classical Album. Tania León's To And Fro (4 Moods) was nominated for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.

LaTimesBlogs.LATimes.com

Sept. 8, 2010

“The list of nominees for the Latin Grammy Awards was revealed this morning at a press conference at the Avalon in Hollywood...”

“THE LATIN ACADEMY OF RECORDING ARTS & SCIENCES, INC.

Final Nominations List

11th Annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards

For recordings released during the Eligibility Year July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010”

“Field 14 - Classical

Category 42 - Best Classical Album

Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the artist.

1. Integral Cuartetos De Cuerda

Leo Brouwer; Amado Del Rosario, producer

[Sello Autor]”

“Field 14 - Classical

Category 43 - Best Classical Contemporary Composition

A Composer's Award. For a newly recorded contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility year.

6. To And Fro (4 Moods)

Tania Leon, composer (Nodus Ensemble)

Track from: NODUS Ensemble

[Innova Recordings]”

Blogger says Leo Brouwer is right in seeing 'fusion as a legitimate approach to composition.'

[Leo Brouwer]

The Afro-Cuban classical guitarist, conductor and composer Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com. His view of fusion in composition is the subject of this excerpt from a post by a composer who is working on a string quartet:

Wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com

Ten years of obsessing about music, musical form, and theology by way of not finishing a string quartet (yet)
August 12, 2010

“It is in this string quartet that I feel most able to articulate what have been the theological convictions that have driven my creative process. Most of my adult life I have wanted to find a way to obliterate the structural and conceptual boundaries between art music and popular music. I have wanted to immerse myself in both streams of Western music fully enough so as to cross back and forth amongst these two great traditions without compromising my ability to compose persuasively in both styles and, at length, to hybridize and synthesize these styles in a way that is convincing.

“I believe Leo Brouwer has been right to point out that one of the great mistakes academic musicologists and theorists have made in the last half century has been to underestimate, sideline, or ignore fusion as a legitimate approach to composition. This attempt at fusion or eclecticism is easy to dismiss.”

Star-Telegram: 'The Black Decameron, a musical depiction of a West African folktale by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer' at Festival

[Leo Brouwer]

An article by Chris Shull in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram explains the origin of The Black Decameron, a well-known work of the Afro-Cuban composer Leo Brouwer:

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Five questions with classical guitarist Jason Vieaux

Posted Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2010

By Chris Shull

“Jason Vieaux

Jason Vieaux is a classical guitarist, but he's not content to sit around playing only Bach or his favorite Spanish composers. Vieaux, 37, who teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music, is well-known for incorporating myriad guitar styles, including jazz, into his concerts.

“Vieaux's wide-ranging musical interests will be heard Wednesday, when he plays a solo recital at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. His performance is one of four headlining the Fort Worth Guitar Guild Music Festival, to be held Tuesday through Saturday. The festival includes lessons and classes for aspiring guitarists at Fort Worth's Orchestra Hall.

“Vieaux's concert will include repertoire standards such as a lute suite by Bach, pieces by Spanish composers, and The Black Decameron, a musical depiction of a West African folktale by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer.” [The Afro-Cuban classical guitarist, composer and conductor Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

3rd Movement of Leo Brouwer’s 'El Decameron Negro' in Douglas Pew's Version of 'Carnival of the Animals'

[Leo Brouwer]

MusicInCincinnati.com

“Concert:nova's 'Carnival of the Animals' a Keeper

Mary Ellyn Hutton

Posted: May 24, 2010

Premieres are the stuff of legend, with ink still wet on manuscript paper, bemused performers and work-in-progress performances. The premiere of “Carnival of the Animals” by the chamber ensemble concert:nova Sunday evening in Cincinnati Ballet studios on Central Parkway may have looked easy, but it was not like pulling a rabbit out of hat. Nor was it just another first performance. In pre-concert remarks, composer Douglas Pew said he doesn’t expect to hear his 'Swan' again, but Pew is almost certainly wrong. With vision and countless hours of devotion, concert:nova has hatched a creature with legs with this affectionate re-visit to Saint-Saens' beloved classic.

“What have we here? Eleven members of concert:nova, including pianists Albert Mühlböck and Julie Spangler, performed the familiar 'Carnival of the Animals' interleaved with brand new takes on the suite by 15 composers. This expanded, updated 'Carnival of the Animals' was performed with dance episodes choreographed by Heather Britt and other members of Cincinnati Ballet. The dancing was the unifying element as Saint-Saens’ 15 animals passed in review in a stylistic array that scanned 19th to 21st century composition. The performance, in CB's Mickey Kaplan Performance Studio, was led with great skill by Annunziata Tomaro, conductor of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Concert Orchestra.”

“CB principal dancer Olgucan Borova, complete with tail, portrayed Saint-Saens’ 'Marche royale du lion' with great, heroic leaps, pelvic thrusts and Elvis-like gestures. Jeff Silva’s 'Leo,' based on the third movement of Afro-Cuban composer Leo Brouwer’s 'El Decameron Negro,' featured c:n's Randolph Bowman in a myriad of effects on the flute as the lion was joined by a captivating lioness. [The Afro-Cuban guitarist, composer and conductor Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Leo Brouwer, Afro-Cuban Composer, Guitarist & Conductor Born March 1, 1939

[Leo Brouwer]

Leo Bouwer, the Afro-Cuban classical guitarist who is also a conductor and a prolific composer, is profiled at AfriClassical.com. He was born in Havana, Cuba March 1, 1939 and has enjoyed a flourishing career since completing his studies in Music in the U.S. at the Julliard School and the Hartt College of Music, where his major subject of study was composition.

His enormous influence on guitar music in particular and classical music in general is demonstrated by more than a hundred recordings on which he has played, composed or conducted. Brouwer's compositions reflect classical, Afro-Cuban, jazz and avant-garde influences. His many film scores, including Like Water for Chocolate, have brought his music to the attention of a huge audience around the world.

Brouwer's version of the Beatles tune Penny Lane opened the “Cubadisco Guitar Fiesta” in Havana on March 21, 2009. Leo Brouwer conducted the Moscow Chamber Orchestra Musica Viva in Kaluga, Russia, at the XII “World of Guitar Festival,” May 25-29, 2009. On June 1, 2009 AfriClassical excerpted a very favorable review of Fuga Libera, a 2007 CD which includes Concerto Elegiaco, in a performance by Denis Sung-Hô (guitar).

AfriClassical reported on July 1, 2009 that Leo Brouwer had received Cuba's “National Film Award” for 2009. On July 31, 2009 we quoted the Star-Telegram as saying Variations on a Theme of Django Reinhardt by Leo Brouwer has a “wistful melody.” On Aug. 23, 2009 Demonoid.com was quoted as saying “Brouwer's Estudios 'in a direct line to the Études for guitar' of Sor & Villa Lobos.” A daily blog on the music of Leo Brouwer alone would have no shortage of news to report!

U. of Tennessee Chattanooga Guitarist Plays Leo Brouwer in Classical Guitar Recital March 3

[Leo Brouwer]

Chattanoogan.com
University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Student Scene
UTC Senior Presents Classical Guitar Recital
posted February 18, 2010
UTC senior Alan Shikoh will present a recital of classical guitar music at UTC Brock Hall, Room 201, on Wednesday, March 3, at 1 p.m. This concert is presented free of charge as part of UTC Foreign Language Week.

Mr. Shikoh will perform Leo Brouwer’s Sonata for Guitar, J.S. Bach’s Lute Suite No. 2, and Two Preludes by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Leo Brouwer is a noted Cuban guitarist and composer. His Sonata was written in 1990 for Julian Breem who premiered the work in 1990. Atonal in nature, it is a prime example of avant-garde guitar style just before the 21st century. Bach’s Lute Suite was originally written for an instrument created specifically at Bach’s request, a keyboard lute. Villa-Lobos is one of the most loved of all guitar composers and was very fond of Impressionism in music. He pushes the guitar to its lowest and highest possible volumes and incorporates Brazilian rhythmic structures to give life and spirit to his music. Villa-Lobos is one of the most loved of all guitar composers and was very fond of Impressionism in music. He pushes the guitar to its lowest and highest possible volumes and incorporates Brazilian rhythmic structures to give life and spirit to his music.

Senior Alan Shikoh is a graduate of the McCallie School and is a music performance major at UTC, and a composer. He is the student of Mario Abril. Mr. Shikoh was also a winner of the 2008-09 Authors and Artist Club Scholarship. [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is an Afro-Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor who is profiled at AfriClassical.com.]

Southeast Missouri State U. Guitar Faculty Plays Leo Brouwer & Celso Machado Feb. 23

[BOTTOM: Celso Machado TOP: Leo Brouwer]

AfriClassical is pleased to learn of a Feb. 23 program which will include a guitar duo, Dr. Jeffrey Noonan and Patrick Rafferty, in performance of works of the Afro-Cuban composer Leo Brouwer and the Afro-Brazilian composer Celso Machado:
SEMO.edu
“Southeast Faculty to Perform Concert for Duo Lutes, Guitars

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., Feb. 8, 2010 -- The Department of Music at Southeast Missouri State University will present a concert for duo lutes and guitars by its guitar faculty, Jeffrey Noonan and Patrick Rafferty, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the Robert F. and Gertrude L. Shuck Music Recital Hall on the River Campus.”

“The guitar portion of the concert will include popular marches and dances arranged for two guitars in the late 19th Century. These entertaining pieces, probably composed to be played by student and teacher, display elements of American ragtime and parlor songs. Contemporary duets on the concert include a suite by the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer as well as selections from a South American collection by the [Brazilian] composer Celso Machado. In keeping with this Latin theme, Rafferty will perform Federica Moreno Tórroba’s famous "Sonatina," composed for Andres Segovia.”

“Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by calling (573) 651–2265. Tickets may also be purchased online at metrotix.com, keyword 'duo lutes and guitars' or by calling toll free (800) 293-5949.” [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939), Afro-Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor and Celso Machado (b. 1953), Afro-Brazilian composer and guitarist, are profiled at AfriClassical.com. Celso Machado has a website of his own at http://www.celsomachado.com/]

Leo Brouwer Conducts Musica Viva in Kaluga, Russia at XII International Festival 'World of Guitar'

[Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)]

This post is translated and summarized from an article in Spanish at the online news website RIA Novosti, regarding the Afro-Cuban guitarist, composer and conductor Leo Brouwer:

Leo Brouwer is making an appearance in Russia after an absence of 30 years. The XII International Festival “World of Guitar” opens in Kaluga, Russia today, May 25, the news agency RIA Novosti reported on May 22, 2009. The festival's artistic director, Oleg Akimov, was quoted as saying the main event would be a concert by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra MUSICA VIVA under the direction of Leo Brouwer, the renowned Cuban composer and guitarist. He added that the Russian musician Nazar Kozhujar and the Polish-Russian Lute Duo would perform a program entitled “Masterpieces of the Baroque”. The festival consists of five days of performances, May 25-29, 2009. Particiapting guitarists are from Brazil, Spain, Australia, USA, France, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. The 'World of Guitar' was founded in Kaluga in 1997.

Leo Brouwer's Version of Beatles Tune 'Penny Lane' Opens Cubadisco Guitar Fiesta May 21

[Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)]

HavanaTimes.org

Cubadisco Guitar Fiesta

By Irina Echarry

“HAVANA TIMES, May 23 - Cubadisco is an annual event created to stimulate the production and quality of Cuban recordings. Several categories are awarded, performances are given, discussions are carried out, and homage is paid to prominent figures of the music world. Last Thursday at the Amadeo Roldan Theater in Havana, it was the guitar’s turn to celebrate one of its most fervent lovers: maestro Leo Brouwer, considered as one of the greatest musical creators in the contemporary world. He is, in essence, a guide of the Cuban and universal guitar, and the winner of this year’s National Cinema Prize for his soundtracks.”

“The orchestra Sonantas Habaneras opened the evening with a brilliant version of the Beatles Penny Lane, written by Brouwer. Starting from that moment no audience voices were heard - only the sound of strings and applause.” “Works from Brouwer’s repertoire were interpreted, as were several by Latin American giants such as Astor Piazzolla, Agustín Barrios, Abelardo Barroso and Noel Nicola.” [Full Post] [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) and Amadeo Roldán (1900-1939) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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]

The Allmusic Blog: Brouwer & Roldán Among Cubans Who 'have made lasting contributions'

[Leo Brouwer & Amadeo Roldán] 
Blog.AllMusic.com

Cubanisimo! Happy 70^th Birthday Leo Brouwer

March 27th, 2009 | 8:15 am est | Uncle Dave Lewis

“Multi-talented Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor Leo Brouwer turned 70 on March 1; Brouwer is perhaps the most renowned of living Cuban composers, and this inspired us to take a look back at some of the Cuban composers throughout history who have made lasting contributions to the world of concert music. Leo Brouwer began to compose in 1955 at age 16, and even in those early years produced works of high quality such as his Danza Caracteristica (1957), regarded today as a classical guitar standard.” “From 1976 he entered into his mature vein, which Brouwer calls 'New Simplicity;' it encompasses input from popular and classical music, Afro-Cuban music and the avant-garde. A hand injury interrupted Brouwer’s career as guitar soloist, and while he has recovered, Brouwer has moved into conducting.”

Amadeo Roldán (1900-1939) was the father of Cuban modernism; when his ballet La Rebambaramba (1928) was conducted by Ernest Ansermet in Paris, Roldán became the first Cuban composer of serious music to be heard in the concert halls of Europe. Roldán was greatly interested in percussion, and his Ritmicás Nos. 5 and 6 (1930) appear to be the first Western musical works for predominantly non-pitched percussion, and without piano; Roldán is also credited with adding the claves and guiro to the concert percussionist’s arsenal of instruments. Roldán was from 1927 conductor and later music director of the Havana Philharmonic and taught composition at the Havana Municipal Conservatory; after the revolution, it was renamed the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in his honor. Amadeo Roldán died of cancer at the age of 38.” [Amadeo Roldán and Leo Brouwer are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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]