Ponce, M: 3 Canciones Populares Mexicanas

Winner of a remarkable number of awards and acknowledged as one of the most important guitarists to emerge from Mexico in recent years, Cecilio Perera demonstrates the strength and beauty of the guitar tradition in Central and South America in this recital. Manuel Ponce’s evocative Sonata Mexicana contrasts with the exciting meeting of ancient and modern in Leo Brouwer’s Sonata, Julio César Oliva’s Tangomania, ‘a sonata in the style of the modern tango influenced by Piazzolla’, and the haunting and at times dazzling Pieces from Venezuela by Vicente Emilio Sojo.

John Williams is regarded as a foremost ambassador of the guitar and one of the greatest guitarists of the post-Segovia period. In 1958 at the age of just 18 years, he recorded the first of a long series of discs which in a short time would have him hailed as an artist of international value.

This recital by renowned soloist David Russell presents the works of four Latin American masters of the guitar: Augustín Barrios Mangoré, Manuel María Ponce, Héctor Ayala, Armando Neves, and Jorge Morel.

One of the great pioneers of classical guitar, Augustín Barrios Mangoré was one of the first Latin American guitarists to appear successfully in Europe and one of the first guitarists to record. Featured on this recording is Mangoré’s “Maxixe” which is based on the Brazilian dance that became popular in Rio de Janeiro in the 1870s. Manuel María Ponce was one of the most distinguished and influential figures in Mexican music. He arranged Tres Cancíones Populares Mexicanas from 1925-26 for Segovia.

Two of the pieces on the disc written by Argentine-American guitarist and composer Jorge Morel are dedicated to David Russell, “Recuerdos del Caribe” is filled with the flavors and rhythms of the West Indies, whilst “Mangoré” is a tribute to Augustín Barrios Mangoré. Even though his career was focused on tango, Héctor Ayala still had a thorough understanding of other Latin American musical styles, as demonstrated by his “Serie Americana”.

The Latin American collection draws mainly from this vast heritage of Latin American song and dance. Of the composers represented, all are renowned as guitarists in their own right, or have worked closely with guitarists. The countries represented include Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and of course Brazil.