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Ernesto Lecuona: Lecuona Plays Lecuona
I played some Ernesto Lecuona on a recent episode of my radio show but I wanted to bring this collection to your attention. Yes, at a glance, this might look like some dusty old stuff that grandpa would put on, but I promise you this: it is very alive and immediately captivating. Just try it.
Lecuona grew up in Havana, where he studied classical piano as a kid. By the 1920s, he’d made a name for himself as a pianist and composer, traveling the world and wowing audiences. And, thrillingly for me, he briefly studied with French composer Maurice Ravel in Paris. So cool when two of your hero’s unexpectedly cross paths.
Lecuona’s music is unmistakably Cuban—a cornerstone of 20th-century Latin music—but I cannot help but hear some French piano music fluttering around in there. As someone who loves the French Impressionist composers and also believes that Cuban music is the best music on Earth, I find this combination totally miraculous.