Fiesta is devoted to Latino concert music and presents artistically significant compositions from Latin America, Spain and Portugal to listeners. The creative force behind this series is Elbio Barilari, an acclaimed composer, musician, performer and professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Uruguayan-born Barilari says, "Fiesta features the hottest Latin-American music from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries."
Julian Orbon: Aaron Copland referred to Orbon as "Cuba's most gifted composer of his generation." Today we will share some of his most beloved music, including Preludio and Danza for guitar.
Romantic Nationalism: During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many Latin-American composers wrote pieces in a romantic and nationalistic style, combining classical techniques with the rhythms and melodies of their own countries. This week on Fiesta, host Elbio Barilari explores this fascinating musical period.
Spanish Composer Matilde Salvador: Matilde Salvador, a leading figure in the Valencian art scene was a Spanish composer and painter. Fiesta will feature her solo guitar work, Homenatge a Mistral, as well as rarely heard pieces by this amazing artist.
The Unknown Joaquin Rodrigo: Joaquin Rodrigo is one of the greatest Spanish composers of the twentieth century. Today Fiesta presents some of his not so well-known great pieces.
Music for the Ballet: Many of the most formidable pieces of the last hundred years have been dedicated to ballet or modern dance. This week, Fiesta will present some of the most beloved, magical and dramatic Latin American works for dance.
Venezuelan Composer Antonio Estevez: Antonio Estevez, a Venezuelan composer and conductor, wrote the Cantata Criolla, a famous nationalistic Venezuelan composition. On today's program we will hear this work as well as other gems of this great composer.
Guitar Music from Brazil and Cuba: Brazil and Cuba are two powerhouses of Latin American music, in part due to the strong African roots of their music. Today Fiesta presents a selection of guitar music from these countries, highlighting the African influence.
Two to Tango: Latin American duets include a variety of instrumental combinations such as flute and piano, violin and piano, and oboe and guitar. Today we will hear these instrumental duets by Samuel Zyman, Radames Gnattali and Astor Piazzolla.
Woodwinds of Latin America: The woodwind section is heavily featured in Latin American music. Today host Elbio Barilari shares some of his favorite woodwind chamber, solo and orchestral settings in works by Paquito D'Rivera, Eduardo Angulo and Jorge Montilla.
An Ideal Imaginary Concert: Today on Fiesta we'll hear a colorful Latino overture, a fantastic Latino concerto and a full-scale Latino symphony.
Latin American Sonatas: Fiesta presents sonatas for the viola, the cello and the clarinet by Brazilian composer Brenno Blauth and Argentine composers Constantino Gaito and Carlos Guastavino.