Records

OLA DIURNA

Francisco Cabán (violin), Cármelo de los Santos (violin), and Kevin Class (piano)

OLA DIURNA
Francisco Cabán (violin)
Guest Artists: Cármelo de los Santos (violin)
Kevin Class (piano)

Ola Diurna- American Works for Violin

Program Notes

Banjo and Fiddle- William Kroll

Timing- 3:06

Sonata no. 1 for Two Violins and Rapsodia Borinqueña- Nicky Aponte

Timings-

I. Son- 3:23

II. Danzón- 5:14

III. Plena- 4:02

Rapsodia Borinqueña- 2:27

La Bella Cubana- José White

Timing- 4:31

Estudio Barricadas Misteriosas de Couperin- Francisco Cabán

Timing- 1:59

Melody for Violin Solo- Luis Prado
Timing- 3:41

No me Toques (Puertorrican danza)- Juan Morel Campos/Transcription for Violin Solo- F. Cabán
Timing- 1:50

Sonata for violin and piano- Jack Délano
Timings:
I. Allegro- 4:21
II. Adagio- 3:58
III. Allegro- 3:24

IV. Allegro con brio- 5:34 

OLA NOCTURNA

Francisco Cabán (violin) and Ivonne Figueroa (piano)

Ola Nocturna- Latin American Works for Violin and Piano

Program Notes

Candorosa, Puerto Rican danza- Juan Morel Campos/Jesús Figueroa

The delicacy and elegance of ¨Candorosa¨ (naïve one) epitomizes the most refined aspects of this Puerto Rican genre.  Juan Morel Campos is widely regarded as the foremost composer of danzas puertorriqueñas.  Born in Ponce in 1857, he received all of his musical training in his hometown.  His danzas were originally conceived for either orchestra or piano.  In this transcription for violin and piano, the distinguished Puerto Rican musician Jesús Figueroa creates a lovely conversation between both instruments.

Intrata y danza rústica- Juan José Castro

Juan José Castro was a noted Argentine composer and conductor.  Although his

success as a conductor overshadowed his career as composer; he had solid training in the latter, his teachers including D’Indy at the Schola Cantorum in Paris.  After several appointments with orchestras in his native country, Uruguay, and in Cuba, he became, at the request of Pablo Casals, the first conductor of the newly founded Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in 1957.   Castro’s music is a combination of the folk music of his country with the French music of the Second World War.  The Intrata y danza rústica (Introduction and Peasant Dance) was composed in 1946.  A slow and dramatic introduction (Intrata) gives way to the Danza rústica, a brilliant display piece exploiting double and triple stops, spiccato bowing, and bariolage passages.

Estrellita- Manuel Ponce/Jascha Heifetz

Jascha Heifetz inaugurated his brilliant career as an arranger of miniature pieces for violin and piano in 1927, with this lovely transcription of Manuel Ponce’s famous song, Estrellita.  Heifetz transformed a beautiful yet simple melody into an emotional tour de force.

 Sonatina no. 2 for violin and piano- Héctor Campos-Parsi

Puerto Rican composer Héctor Campos-Parsi had a distinguished career as composer, professor, musicologist, and promoter of classical contemporary music in Puerto Rico.  Although not published until 1964, his Sonatina No. 2 was composed in 1953, when Campos-Parsi was studying with Nadia Boulanger.  As a consequence, the composition belongs to a neo-classical aesthetic deeply indebted to Stravinsky while still retaining elements from Puerto Rican and Caribbean folklore.  The work received the Ravel Prize in Paris in 1953.

Meditación- Ernesto Cordero

Maestro Ernesto Cordero (1946), distinguished Puerto Rican composer, is best known for his guitar concertos and solo pieces, which are part of the standard repertoire of that instrument.  However, he has also written two violin concertos and in 2010 wrote the Meditación for violin solo and dedicated it to me.  It is a fine example of his predominant modal harmonic language and explores different textures and registers of the violin.   It shows a thorough knowledge of the expressive qualities of the instrument.

Boriquén, Puerto Rican danza- Jesús Figueroa

Don Jesús Figueroa was one of the most important musicians in 20^th century Puerto Rican music.  His multiple talents: clarinetist, band and orchestra conductor, composer, music teacher, arranger, give an idea of the many sided aspects of his career.  He was also an important “connection” between 19^th century musicians (including Morel Campos, whom he met), and 20^th century European conservatory trained musicians.  Perhaps having in mind his two formidable violinist sons (José and Jaime Figueroa), he wrote this beautiful Puerto Rican danza, combining refinement and bravura in its performance.

La reina de la noche- Mariano Morales

Mariano Morales is a gifted Puerto Rican composer, pianist and arranger, who incorporates elements of Jazz, Afro-Antillian and Classical music into many of his compositions.  La reina de la noche (Queen of the night), written in 1999, is a beautiful example of his style.  An idiomatic composition with a haunting melody in the violin part coupled with rich harmonies in the piano. 

Ao pé da fogueira (Preludio XV)- Flausino Vale/Jascha Heifetz

When the career of Russian-American virtuoso Jascha Heifetz took flight in the 1920´s and 30´s, with multiple travels to South America, Europe, and Asia, he felt inspired by the music from the countries he was visiting.  This was the case with Flausino Vale’s Preludio XV: Ao pé da fogueira (at the fire root.)  Originally written for violin solo, Heifetz edited it with a piano part and re-published and recorded it in 1945.  The piece’s descriptive title makes allusion to Brazilian St. John festivities during June/July. 

Francisco Cabán