Alejandro García Caturla - Tres Danzas Cubanas

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Intro : [00:00]
I. Danza del tambor [00:05]
II. Motivos de danza [01:30]
III. Danza lucumí [07:08]
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The New World Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas
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Alejandro García Caturla was a Cuban composer of art music and creolized Cuban themes.
Caturla was born in the town of Remedios, Villa Clara, Cuba. With only sixteen years old, in 1922, he won a position as part of the section of the 2nd violins of the newly formed “Orquesta Sinfónica de La Habana”, where Amadeo Roldán was the concertmaster. He started to write music since he was a teenager, while studying both music and law. He felt attracted to Afro-Cuban rhythms since he was really young, and this became a common denominator in his compositions in a time when the division between art music and popular music did not influence Cuban composers. From 1925 to 1927 he continued his musical studies in Paris as a student of Nadia Boulanger.
Together with composer Amadeo Roldán, Caturla became the leader of Afro-cubanismo, a nationalist musical trend, which mixed elements of white and black culture, incorporating Afro-Cuban songs, rhythms, and dances. Later on he used advanced techniques and French Impressionist styles combined with primitive tunes; as a result, some of his works show surprising juxtapositions of chords and moods. He composed Concierto de cámara, Obertura cubana, Danzas cubanas, and a suite for orchestra (1938).
García Caturla left two legacies: One as an universal musician who combined classical and folkloric themes with modern musical ideas through his compositions and knowledge of at least seven different instruments. His career paralleled with Amadeo Roldán’s, and the two men are considered pioneers of modern Cuban symphonic art. His other legacy is one of serving justice, first as an attorney and later as a judge. While presiding over a criminal case, García Caturla was murdered at thirty-four by the young gambler he was about to sentence to prison.