Leo Brouwer

Infobox musical artist
Name = Leo Brouwer


Background = non_performing_personnel
Birth_name = Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida
Born = Birth date and age|1939|3|1|mf=y
flagicon|Cuba Havana, Cuba
Died =
Genre = Folkloric, Aleatoric, Atonal
Occupation = Composer,Classical guitarist, Conductor
Years_active = 1968-
Label = Egrem

Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (born March 1, 1939) in Havana, is a Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor.

Biography

As a child, Brouwer received his initial stimulus from his father, a physician, who was an "aficionado" of Villa-Lobos, Tárrega and Granados. He initiated his son encouraging him to play these composers' works, mostly by ear.

Young Brouwer received his first formal guitar instruction from the noted Cuban guitarist and pedagogue Isaac Nicola, in turn a disciple of Emilio Pujol. Afterwards, Brouwer went to the United States to study music at the Hartt College of Music of the University of Hartford, and later at the Juilliard School, where he studied under Vincent Persichetti and took composition classes with Stefan Wolpe.

Brouwer's early works show the influence of Cuban folk music, but during the 1960s and 70s, he became interested in the music of modernist composers such as Luigi Nono and Iannis Xenakis, using indeterminacy in works such as "Sonograma I". Other works from this period include the guitar pieces "Canticum" (1968), "La espiral eterna" (1971), "Parábola" (1973) and "Tarantos" (1974). More recently, Brouwer's works have started leaning towards tonality and modality. The solo guitar works "El Decamerón Negro" (1981) the "Sonata" (1990; for Julian Bream) and "Paisaje cubano con campanas" (1986) exemplify this tendency.

Brouwer has held a number of official posts in Cuba, including the directorship of the Cinema Institute of Cuba's music department. Among his works are a large number of solo guitar pieces, several guitar concertos and over forty film scores. Leo Brouwer is involved in the "Concurso y Festival Internacional de Guitarra de la Habana" (International Guitar Festival of the Havana). He travels freely to attend guitar festivals throughout the world, and especially to other latin American countries, where his presence is always welcome.

Guitar Concertos

*"Concierto para Guitarra (No. 1)"
*"Concierto de Lieja (No.2)" (1981)
*"From yesterday to Penny Lane" for guitar and orchestra" (1985)
*"Concierto Elegiaco (No. 3)" (1986)
*"Concierto de Toronto (No. 4)" (1987)
*"Concierto de Helsinki No. 5" (1991-2)
*"Concierto Omaggio a Paganini" (1995) *
*"Concierto de Volos (No. 6)" (1997)
*"Concierto No. 7 "La Habana" (1998)
*"Concierto No. 8 "Concierto Cantata de Perugia" (1999)
*"Concierto No. 9 "de Benicassim" (2002)
*"Concierto No. 10 "Book of Signs" (2003-4) *** Double concerto for violin and guitar** Double concerto for two guitars

Solo Guitar Works

*"Suite No. 2"
*"Piezas sin títulos Nos. 1-3"
*"Fuga No. 1"
*"Two Popular Cuban Themes: Cancion de Cuna & Ojos Brujos"
*"Two Popular Cuban Airs: Guajira Criolla & Zapateado"
*"Danza del Altiplano"
*"Variations on a Piazzolla Tango"
*"Canción Triste"
*"Preludio" (1956)
*"Danza Característica "Quítate de la Acera" (1957)
*"Tres Apuntes" (1959)
*"Elogio de la Danza" (1964)
*"Un Dia de Noviembre" (1968)
*"Canticum" (1968)
*"La Espiral Eterna" (1971)
*"Estudios Sencillos (Nos. 1-20)" (1973)
*"Parábola" (1973)
*"Tarantos" (1974)
*"El Decamerón Negro" (1981)
*"Preludios Epigramáticos" (1981)
*"Variations on a Theme of Django Reinhardt" (1984)
*"Paisaje Cubano con Campanas" (1987)
*"Sonata" (1990)
*"Rito de los Orishás" (1993)
*"Paisaje Cubano con Tristeza" (1996)
*"Hika: In Memoriam Toru Takemitsu" (1996)
*"An Idea (Passacaglia for Eli)" (1999)
*"Viaje a la Semilla" (2000)
*"Nuevos Estudios Sencillos (Nos. 1-10)" (2003)

Trivia

The sixth of his "Etudes Simples" was quoted by heavy metal guitarist Randy Rhoads (when he was working with Ozzy Osbourne) as the introduction to the song "Diary of a Madman".He composed the sound track music for the celebrated Mexican movie Como Agua Para Chocolate (1992) [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103994/fullcredits IMDb movie credits - Leo Brouwer as author of Original Music ] ] . He composed the orchestral score for Vicente Amigo's flamenco album, Poeta.

References

External links

Recordings

* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0101 De Bach a Los Beatles] (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0445 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. I.] Brouwer por Brouwer. (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0446 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. II.] Brouwer intérprete. (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0447 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. III.] Re-creaciones. (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0458 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. IV.] Conciertos para guitarra y orquesta. (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0459 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. V.] Brouwer por los maestros Rey Guerra y Joaquín Clerch. (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0460 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. VI.] Presencia en el Festival Internacional de guitarra... (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0461 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. VII.] Ensambles con guitarras. (EGREM)
* [http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0462 La obra guitarrística de Leo Brouwer. Vol. VIII.] Actuaciones memorables. (EGREM)
* [http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/webseries/?ID=20-21&PRODUCT_NR=4715892 Rara] (Deutsche Grammophon) ( [http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/IGRAdiscography&CISOPTR=297&CISOBOX=1&REC=6 original LP cover / Liner notes] )
* [http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/cat/result?&PRODUCT_NR=4498722&SearchString=4498722 Hans Werner Henze: El Cimarrón] (Deutsche Grammophon)
* [http://www.gharecords.com/asp/artistes.asp?id=15 Leo Brouwer & Orquesta de Cordoba] (GHA)
* [http://www.homadream.com/eng/CD.htm Pierri and Russell with Brouwer] Acerca del cielo, el aire y la sonrisa (HOMA dream, HR1050 / 2,400JPY)
* [http://www.quadroframe.com/html/artist/leobrouwer_en.html Leo Brouwer Collection Vol.1-6] (Frame)
* [http://www.lajiribilla.cu/musica/leo/leo.htm Homoludens] Brouwer with Chucho Valdés & Silvio Rodríguez (Producciones Colibrí CD-024 -- Instituto Cubano de la Música) [http://guitarra.artelinkado.com/foros/showthread.php?t=2639]
* [http://www.luciomatarazzo.it/Brouwer_CD.html Leo Brouwer - GuitArt Quartet] Works for four guitars
* [http://www.camerata.co.jp/J/cd/cm0/009.html Penny Lane - Leo and Ichiro] with [http://homepage1.nifty.com/guitarrista/guitar/Suzuki.html Ichiro Suzuki] (鈴木一郎 or バルセロナ）( [http://www.camerata.co.jp Camerata Tokyo] ) ( [http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/IGRAdiscography&CISOPTR=296&CISOBOX=1&REC=18 original LP cover / Liner Notes] )
* [http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/IGRAdiscography&CISOPTR=207&CISOBOX=1&REC=1 Leo Brouwer] (Select Collection Classique)
* [http://www.scarlatti-guitar.com/LeoBrouwScar.html Scarlatti: Douze Sonates] (Erato) ( [http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/IGRAdiscography&CISOPTR=208&CISOBOX=1&REC=10 original LP cover / Liner Notes] )
* [http://digital-library.csun.edu/u?/IGRAdiscography,787 The Classics of Cuba] (Erato)
* [http://www.lpcd.de/18/K1816_01.jpgLeo Brouwer - Deutsche Grammophon Debut (2555 001)]

Films

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005977/ List of films with music portions or whole soundtracks by Leo Brouwer]

Videos

* [http://www.luciomatarazzo.it/Brouwer_dvd.html Leo Brouwer - Diario Italico] with [http://www.guitart.it/quartet/ GuitArt Quartet] (2001)
* [http://www.lajiribilla.cu/2005/n215_06/labutaca.html Homoludens] - DVD

Articles

* [http://www.lajiribilla.co.cu/2004/n176_09/176_18.html Hablar con Leo] es icon
* [http://www.seiscuerdas.com/fernandez/?Articles:Cosmology_in_sounds_%0A__%28on_Leo_Brouwer%27s_%22La_Espiral_Eterna%22%29 Cosmology in sounds (on Leo Brouwer's "La Espiral Eterna")] by [http://www.seiscuerdas.com/fernandez/ Eduardo Fernández]
* [http://www.guitarramagazine.com/ReapraisalTutor Let us play for our children] A Reappraisal - for the Guitar Tutor (Clive Kronenberg, www.guitarramagazine.com)
* [http://granma.co.cu/2004/05/11/cultura/articulo01.html Hombre que juega] Pedro de la Hoz, 2004 (Granma) es icon
* [http://www.cordobapedia.org/wiki/Orquesta_de_C%C3%B3rdoba Maiden concert of The Cordoba Orchestra conducted by Leo Brouwer (1992) - in the Cordobapedia, the city of Córdoba's wiki ]
* [http://www.arnauddumond.com/pdfsiteardum/textes/decameron.pdf El Decameron Negro] by Arnaud Dumond fr icon

Interviews

* [http://www.arnauddumond.com/pdfsiteardum/textes/brouwer/brouwer.pdf 1] [http://www.arnauddumond.com/pdfsiteardum/textes/brouwer/brouwer2.pdf 2] "Entretiens avec Leo Brouwer" by Arnaud Dumond, Françoise-Emmanuelle Denis fr icon
* [http://www.ryc.cult.cu/304sarusky.htm ¿Qué Hacer Con La Música Popular Cubana?] by Jaime Sarusky (Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC), 2004 (Revista Revolución y Cultura) es icon
* [http://www.angelfire.com/in/eimaj/interviews/leo.brouwer.html An Interview With Leo Brouwer] by Constance McKenna, 1988 [http://www.guitarreview.com/store/75.html Guitar Review, No. 75]
* [http://www.guitaralive.org/playlist_06_12_12.html Leo Brouwer Artist Profile/Interview] Classical Guitar Alive! ( [http://www.kmfa.org/archives/KMFAClassicalGuitarAlive17December2006.mp3 mp3] )
* [http://guitarra.artelinkado.com/guitarra/leobrouwer_y_su%20influencia_lit_guitarra.htm Leo Brouwer y su aportación a la composición guitarrística de Vanguardia] Carolina Queipo Gutirrez , 2002 (guitarra.artelinkado) es icon

Bibliography

*"Leo Brouwer" by Isabelle Hernández. (Andante. Editora Musical de Cuba) ISBN 959-7153-01-7
*"Gajes del oficio" by Leo Brouwer [http://guitarra.artelinkado.com/foros/showthread.php?p=3342#post3342]

Biography

* [http://www.cubarte-english.cult.cu/global/loader.php?cat=personalidades&cont=showitem.php&id=134 Biography] (also in [http://www.cubarte.cu/global/loader.php?&cat=personalidades&cont=showitem.php&id=6&tabla=personalidades Spanish] and [http://www.cubarte-francais.cult.cu/global/loader.php?cat=personalidades&cont=showitem.php&id=3 French] )
* [http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Brouwer.html Afro-Cuban Composer, Guitarist & Conductor] (also in [http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Leo.html French] )
* [http://www.cubacine.cu/musicos/leo.htm Biography] (Cubacine) es icon
* [http://www.musicweb.uk.net/brouwer/ Brouwer on Music Web]