From the Americans

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ABOUT

From the northern territories of Canada to the southern part of Argentina, the styles of music are as broad and different as its cultures and regions. This programme offers a glimpse into the magical world of American music.

The journey begins with Gustave Le Gray by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw. Gustave Le Gray was a French painter and photographer who took the only picture of Chopin.

Tania León was born in Cuba, and her work Tumbao is dedicated to the great Cuban singer Celia Cruz.

Gabriela Ortiz is one of the most important composers of America at this moment. Her music has been commissioned and played by prestigious ensembles, soloists, and orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Bretagne, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. Her work, Patios Serrenos (tranquil patios), reflects the tranquility produced by the architecture of Luiz Barragan.

Heitor Villa-Lobos was the first Latin composer to combine nationalistic flavours with classical structures. His work Impressions of a Serenade is a fantasy of what could be a popular tune and its development.

William Bolcom has explored all kinds of music, but his exploration of ragtime and cabaret music has secured him a place in history.  

Samual Barbar originally wrote his Souvenirs op 28 for piano 4-hands. He made the solo version to perform himself at “fun” parties. In his own words, it was to remember the decadent world of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Plaza Hotel.  

Gershwin could easily be called the most famous American composer of all time. The five Preludes here are part of what he intended to be a set of 24 preludes modelling Chopin. His early death left only 6 finished and several sketches

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