Post by erik on Oct 14, 2023 19:34:39 GMT -5
This week's Classical Works Spotlight falls on the Venezuelan-born composer and pianist Gabriela Montero and a very flavorful addition to the arena of the Piano Concerto.
Gabriela Montero: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 (LATIN)
Born in Caracas, Venezuela on May 10, 1970, Gabriela Montero was a child prodigy almost from the beginning, having learned to play the piano at seven months; by the time she was fifteen months old, she could play the Venezuelan national anthem on her own. At the age of eight, only slightly older than Mozart when he made his debut as a pianist in concert, Ms. Montero gave a performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 with the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela under the direction of Jose Antonio Abreu. Between 1990 and 1993, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Very soon, while she mastered much of the established piano repertoire herself, Ms. Montero also started composing; and inevitably, her compositions revealed the influence of her native Venezuela and of Latin America in general. Her First Piano Concerto, which she designated the “Latin” concerto, reflects this. A very modern work with significant Latin influences, including typical Latin percussion, as well as a touch of jazz, the Latin Concerto was recorded by Ms. Montero in 2019 with the Orchestra of the Americas, a youth orchestra consisting of members from twenty-five nations in the Western Hemisphere, notably Latin America, under the direction of Carlos Miguel Prieto, a recording that was warmly received by classical and jazz music fans alike.
Piano: GABRIELA MONTERO
Orchestra of the Americas/CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO (Orchid)
Included:
Ravel: PIANO CONCERTO IN G MAJOR
Gabriela Montero: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 (LATIN)
Born in Caracas, Venezuela on May 10, 1970, Gabriela Montero was a child prodigy almost from the beginning, having learned to play the piano at seven months; by the time she was fifteen months old, she could play the Venezuelan national anthem on her own. At the age of eight, only slightly older than Mozart when he made his debut as a pianist in concert, Ms. Montero gave a performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 with the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela under the direction of Jose Antonio Abreu. Between 1990 and 1993, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Very soon, while she mastered much of the established piano repertoire herself, Ms. Montero also started composing; and inevitably, her compositions revealed the influence of her native Venezuela and of Latin America in general. Her First Piano Concerto, which she designated the “Latin” concerto, reflects this. A very modern work with significant Latin influences, including typical Latin percussion, as well as a touch of jazz, the Latin Concerto was recorded by Ms. Montero in 2019 with the Orchestra of the Americas, a youth orchestra consisting of members from twenty-five nations in the Western Hemisphere, notably Latin America, under the direction of Carlos Miguel Prieto, a recording that was warmly received by classical and jazz music fans alike.
Piano: GABRIELA MONTERO
Orchestra of the Americas/CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO (Orchid)
Included:
Ravel: PIANO CONCERTO IN G MAJOR