La Bella Habana
Camerata Romeu/Zenaida Romeu
Rec. September 2019, La Plaza de La Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis, Havana
CUGATE CLASSICS CLL003 [37:09]
Havana was founded in 1515 and has a long and colorful history. The tremendous variety of European, African, Caribbean and native influences have contributed to create an exotic mix of cultures in Cuba and its largest city, particularly in art and music. This album, La Bella Habana, is a celebration of Havana’s musical heritage. Camerata Romeu is an all-female string chamber orchestra from Cuba, and is led by conductor and founder Zenaida Romeu. The group recently celebrated their 25th year together, and over that time they have performed their wide repertoire throughout Cuba and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and the Americas. This album is dedicated to the city of Havana in commemoration of its 500th anniversary, and features nine delightful selections from the group’s songbook.
La Bella Cubana is a graceful habanera composed by Cuban violinist and composer Jose White (1836-1918) for two violins and orchestra. The piece is often called Cuba’s second national hymn. This arrangement by Zenaida Romeu is warm, nostalgic, and well-balanced, and performed with rich string harmonies led by bass and cellos. Chivo Que Rompe Tambo, loosely
translated as “he who breaks the drum pays with his skin”, is an interesting piece named after a drum-breaking goat. The tune was written by Cuban composer Moises Simons (1889-1945) and is marked by vividly- accented passages with jagged bowing and harmonic pizzicatos, alternating with shorter, flowing sections. Canambu was written by Eduardo Gamboa (b. 1960), a well-known Mexican composer of film soundtracks and concert music, and originally composed for string quartet. It is named for a variety of bamboo used for making percussion instruments. The tune has several sections that vary in tempo and expression, and features the exquisite sounds of performers hand tapping their instruments. They judiciously use their hollow-body stringed instruments as drums, creating distinct differences in tonal quality, variety and color. Hand tapping is a common feature of many of these numbers and is used very effectively. Gil y Hamilton was composed by Brazilian violinist Ricardo Herz (b. 1978) and intended to be played at 119 beats per minute. It is vivacious, happy and infectious, with an exhilarating violin melody set-off by group pizzicatos and tapping. Another one of my favorites is the beautifully intense Camerata en Guaguanco, composed by Guido Lopez-Gavilan (b.1944). The guaguanco, a form of rumba, is a Cuban dance with an Afro-Caribbean rhythm, and popular for its erotic movements and courtship maneuvers. This tune combines amazing pizzicatos from all string sections with driving percussion and alternating bass and treble melodies at a lively pace.
Bruce McCollum
Contents
La Bella Cubana (Jose White) [4:58]
Chivo Que Rompe Tambo (Moises Simons) [3:30]
Cuan Hermosa Naturaleza (Publio Medina) [2:18]
Libertango (Astor Piazzolla) [4:45]
Canambu (Eduardo Gamboa) [4:42]
Camerata En Guaguanco (Guido Lopez-Gavilan) [5:49]
Final Obligado (Carlos Farinas) [3:45]
Gil Y Hamilton (Ricardo Herz) [3:26]
La Bella Habana (Lopez-Gavilan/M. Romeu/J. White) [3:56]
