Phone
Tablet - Portrait
Tablet - Landscape
Desktop
Toggle navigation
Performers
Steinway Performers
Albright, Charlie
Anderson, Greg
Arishima, Miyako
Benoit, David
Biegel, Jeffrey
Birnbaum, Adam
Braid, David
Brown, Deondra
Brown, Desirae
Brown, Gregory
Brown, Melody
Brown, Ryan
Caine, Uri
Chen, Sean
Chulochnikova, Tatiana
Deveau, David
Farkas, Gabor
Feinberg, Alan
Fung, David
Gagne, Chantale
Golan, Jeanne
Goodyear, Stewart
Graybil, Matthew
Gryaznov, Vyacheslav
Gugnin, Andrey
Han, Anna
Han, Yoonie
Iturrioz, Antonio
Khristenko, Stanislav
Kim, Daniel
Li, Zhenni
Lin, Jenny
Lo Bianco, Moira
Lu, Shen
Mahan, Katie
Mao, Weihui
Melemed, Mackenzie
Min, Klara
Mndoyants, Nikita
Moutouzkine, Alexandre
Mulligan, Simon
Myer, Spencer
O'Conor, John
O'Riley, Christopher
Osterkamp, Leann
Paremski, Natasha
Perez, Vanessa
Petersen, Drew
Polk, Joanne
Pompa-Baldi, Antonio
Rangell, Andrew
Roe, Elizabeth Joy
Rose, Earl
Russo, Sandro
Schepkin, Sergei
Scherbakov, Konstantin
Shin, ChangYong
Tak, Young-Ah
Ziegler, Pablo
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Back 1 step
Album
Album
Cuban Piano Music / Alexandre Moutouzkine
Release Date:
01/20/2017
Label:
Steinway & Sons
Catalog #:
30064
Composer:
Tomás Buelta y Flores , Ernán López-Nussa , César Perez Sentenat , Enrique Guerrero ...
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine
This title is currently unavailable.
Works on Recording
Notes and Reviews
Russian pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine astounds with a virtuosic program of technically demanding and effusively vibrant Cuban music spanning the past two centuries.
Album Credits:
Recorded January 15 and June 14, 2016 at Steinway Hall, New York City
Producer: Jon Feidner
Engineer: Lauren Sturm
Mixing and Mastering: Daniel Shores
Editing: Robert Hillinck
Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner
Design: Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo
Piano Technicians: Glen Bingham, Lauren Sturm
Piano: Steinway Model D #597590 (New York)
Reviews:
The Russian-American pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine was introduced to
Read more
Cuban music by his Cuban-born, New York teacher Solomon Mikowsky, took the inspiration and ran with it, and has produced an album of fascinating music by composers who, except perhaps for Léo Brouwer, are almost unknown outside of Cuba. The big name, Ernesto Lecuona, is omitted. The pieces are all short, and they're in various styles, but without exception they combine elements of vernacular and concert music. This is true even of the tiny, early 19th century La Valentina of Tomás Buelta y Flores, and the variety of possible combinations increased exponentially as time went by. You could dip in anywhere, but try the Zapatéo Cubano of Héctor Angulo (born 1932) for a taste of how deftly these composers manipulate their popular music heritage. The Zapatéo is apparently a Cuban relative of the Spanish and Mexican Zapeateado tap dance (a slightly more detailed set of booklet notes would have been desirable with music this obscure), but here the dance rhythms are slightly displaced from their normal configuration, and rhythmic and tonal tensions are introduced. Moutouzkine's performance benefits from fine sound, captured by Steinway engineers at the label's namesake Steinway Hall in New York. A real winner, of interest far beyond the circle of Latin American classical music fans.
-- AllMusic Guide
Whether tackling classical repertoire or not, this Russian pianist takes a dive into the deep end of Cuban classical piano works by composers generally residing off the beaten path. A solo set by a player that needs no augmentation, for those not in the know, this set, taken as a whole, sounds like a diverse recital with sure hands on the wheel. A player for many pleasant Sunday afternoons to come, this set is a real, unexpected treat that tickles the ears with just the right touch. Well done throughout.
-- MidWest Record
Here we have yet another fascinating recital of lively and diverse piano music from South America. In this case, the program is made up of 18 short pieces by 17 composers from Cuba, bookended by the oldest, Tomás Buelta y Flores (1791-1844) and the youngest, Aldo Lopez-Gavilan (b. 1979). Most of the works are from the 20th century, and nearly all these display at least a tinge of Modernism in their harmonies, as well as the expected syncopations of Cuban dance music. The most familiar name here is Leo Brouwer (b. 1939), whose guitar concertos have been recorded many times (though, unfortunately, not all of them). Strangely enough the best-known Cuban composer of piano music, Ernesto Lecuona, is not included; but do we need another Malaguena? The musical rewards of this program are many, not least being the dynamic pianism of Russian-American pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine (a Van Cliburn winner, amongst several other accolades). For performance, repertoire interest, and recording quality, this release proves to be another winner in Steinway and Sons' series of piano discs.
The works, despite their common characteristics, are nicely varied;more so than would be the case with a single composer. Mulato by Amadeo Roldán (1900-1939) must logically be a late work of this short-lived composer, as the influence of Bartok dictates his percussive approach to the keyboard. Others are Impressionistic, bringing Ravelian textures to bear on Cuban sources, as in the sprightly Concert Study by Juan Piñera (b. 1949). Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) creates an atmospheric soundscape in his Boceto (or Sketch) No. 4, inspired by the work of the Cuban Surrealist painter Acosta León. It is a placid, limpid piece with an agitated central section, sensitively played. Moutouzkine is idiomatic in the more rhythmically orientated pieces too, providing a suitably dry staccato in the scherzo-like Zapatéo Cubano by Hector Agulo (b. 1932). (The Cuban zapateo is a distinctive dance with antecedents in Spanish flamenco.) Agulo makes considerable use of an arpeggiated triplet figure identical to the one in Huapango by the Mexican composer José Pablo Moncayo. Both Agulo's dance and the Prelude No. 6 by Edgardo Martin Cantero(1915 - 2004) quote a little tune I have heard in some other piece of music, possibly a traditional song, but I am in the frustrating position of not being able to identify it. (The notes with this release are scant concerning the composers and individual works.) Either of these pieces would make a charming encore in a recital, as neither lasts over two minutes.
A more substantive work is Juan Piñera;s Y el brillo de la luna te encantaba (And the moon's brightness bewitched you), a tone poem almost Lisztian in its grandeur. Appropriately, the final selection is a tour de force toccata: Lopez-Gavilan's Pan con Timba. Pan con Timba literally means bread with guava, but is synonymous for any kind of cheap food, and also refers specifically to a poor neighborhood in Havana. The infectious, repetitive dance rhythms and virtuoso decorations conjure up a picture of spirited local celebrations.
I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all this unfamiliar music in Moutouzkine's expert readings. His disc is highly recommended.
-- Fanfare
"The young Russian competition winner and former Astral Artist Moutouzkine showcases a surprising variety of rhythms and complex harmonies in these 18 short works by mainly 20th and 21st century Cuban composers. An enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable recording."
-- WRTI 90.1
This seems to be the debut disc for Russian-American pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine, whose boyish appearance belies decades of study (he is now teaching at the Manhattan School of Music). It includes 18 bonbons by 17 Cuban composers, about half still living, the shortest 40 seconds and the longest 6-1/2 minutes. Most will not even be names to the best informed listener, so if you pride yourself on your hipness, this will be an introduction to another universe. Two of the works particularly stood out for me; the evocative Habanera del Angel by José Maria Vitier (b. 1954) and the driving, jazzy, compelling Pan con Timba by Aldo Lopez Gavilan (b. 1979). (Gavilan has just started making a name for himself in the USA; he combines compositional chops with an amazing touch at the keyboard.) But all of the selections are worth getting to know. A fine anthology for musicologists, collectors, and piano lovers.
-- American Record Guide
A small example of the unknown solo piano repertoire of Cuba, a world of rich, complex harmonies, percussive statements, and swirls of imagination. Many of these rarely heard works have never before been recorded. As the pianist here puts it, every new Cuban composer whom I have come across has presented a feast of musical discovery. Roldan and Caturla create lush harmonies that are disparate and unique, yet work together in flawless layers. Roberto Valera's witty, captivating mind and masterfuk craft radiates with depth and dimension. The breathtaking delicacy and charm of Leo Brouwer is mesmerizing. Then there is the absolutely enchanting world of Juan Piñera. Thankfully, the list goes on and on.
-- Records International
Read less
1.
La Valentina
Composer:
Tomás Buelta y Flores
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
2.
Niña con violín
Composer:
Ernán López-Nussa
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
3.
Palmas reales rubias
Composer:
César Perez Sentenat
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
4.
La que a ti te gusta
Composer:
Enrique Guerrero
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
5.
Invención No. 3
Composer:
Argeliers León
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
6.
Cuento Sonoro
Composer:
Roberto Valera
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
7.
Boceto No. 4 "Acosta León"
Composer:
Leo Brouwer
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
8.
Danzon
Composer:
José Ardevol Gimbernat
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
9.
Estudio de concierto
Composer:
Juan Piñera
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
10.
Habanera del Angel
Composer:
José María Vitier
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
11.
Preludio No.3 "Motivos de danza"
Composer:
Nilo Rodríguez Suárez
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
12.
Zapatéo cubano
Composer:
Hector Angulo
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
13.
Mulato
Composer:
Amadeo Roldán
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
Period:
20th Century
Written:
1932 Cuba
14.
Preludio No. 6
Composer:
Edgardo Martin Cantero
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
15.
¡Que confusión de tonos!
Composer:
Andrés Alen
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
16.
Comparsa
Composer:
Alejandro García Caturla
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
17.
Y el brillo de la luna te encantaba
Composer:
Juan Piñera
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
18.
Pan con “Timba”
Composer:
Aldo Lopez-Gavilan
Performer:
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Piano)
No
×
Add To Playlist
Success
This selection has been added.
Playlist
Create
Cancel
Confirm
Cancel
9AA603496711E1FC9980AAB805ED612D