Hika and the Young Composer

Leo Brouwer (1939) is by far Cuba's best known composer. A composer, guitarist, percussionist, conductor, teacher and cultural promotor he is one of the most important and influential musical figures of Latin-America. Brouwer's grandfather was a Franco-Dutch adventurer, while his mother's uncle was the famous composer Ernesto Lecuona. Brouwer studied at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York with Persichetti and Stefan Wolpe. In 1961 he returned to his native Cuba, to become a professional guitarist and composer. His works have entered the standard repertoire of the modern guitarist, played and enjoyed all over the world. This new recording includes the Hika, a piece written in memoriam Toru Takemitsu, a close friend of his. The other works are from Brouwer's "early period": the complete "20 Estudios Sencillos" (a Latin-American answer to Bartók's Mikrokosmos), a Danza Caracteristca, Elogio de la Danza, and Tres Apuntes, all written in Brouwer's unique fusion of Folk

Music and 20th century Avant-Garde. Excellent performance by master guitarist Frédéric Zigante, who recorded for Brilliant Classics the complete guitar music by Villa-Lobos.