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• Arts and Culture
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• Music
• 05 / 19 / 2007

This year, Cubadisco's main motto is "Music and Cinema" on the 38th anniversary of the foundation of the Cuban Institute of Cinema Arts and Industry's Group of Sound Experimentation. The Group gave way to the New Trova Movement and was lead by maestro Leo Brouwer with such distinguished members as singer-composers Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanes and the late Noel Nicola, among others.

This way, not only Cuban music, but also the impressive Cuban cinema production and their remarkable soundtracks by some of the most outstanding Cuban musicians will be known to the wide public opinion.

The motto "Music and Cinema" is a tribute to Cuban cinema founding father Alfredo Guevara, chairman of the also coveted International Festival for Latin America Cinema, called every December in Havana.

During Cubadisco 2007, movie theaters will present a special tribute program to well-known and respected Cuban films personalities. A huge concert by the Cubadisco Great Orchestra will perform music from classic Cuban and international movies.

Meanwhile Polito Ibañez and Santiago Feliu are bringing concerts of their own inspired by films like ¨El Hombre de Maisinicu¨ (¨Man from Maisinicu¨, depicting the feats of an underground Cuban agent assassinated by armed bands in the island's central mountains in the 1960's) and ¨The Centennial Youth Column¨ (units for building important projects in the 1960's and 1970's). Arrangements for those concerts are from maestro Roberto Valera, and will be Cubadisco 2007 tribute to the Group of Sound Experimentation.

In the closing ceremony, brothers Sergio and Jose Maria Vitier, will be awarded for their contributions to national films soundtracks. Jose Maria Vitier is the composer for ¨Fresa y Chocolate¨ (¨Strawberry and Chocolate¨) the laureated film by the late Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio.

Also awarded will be Brouwer, a key personality in the Cuban musical landscape, specially in musical soundtracks for movies, and Edesio Alejandro, also the author of music for films by Rogleio Paris, Gerardo Chijona and Rigoberto Lopez.

Alejandro has also been a constant presence in Fernando Perez movies, from ¨Clandestinos¨ (¨Underground¨), to ¨Suite Habana¨ or more recently ¨Madrigal¨

During the Cubadisco Fair will be presented the CD "Guitar and I" with eight pieces for guitar by Cuban composer Harold Gramatges, 2002 Cuban National Award for Music. The CD carries pieces composed in the last two decades for several Cuban and foreign musicians.

This album was highlighted during the Second Composition International Award in Havana, sponsored by Casa de las Americas .

Cubadisco 2007, for the first time, will tour other Cuban provinces in June, starting in Villa Clara, and ending in Bayamo, in the eastern Granma province.

As it is usual, the event will be a tribute to a foreign country, this year, Venezuela, and will be attended by important personalities of Latin American music, as Dominicans Sonia Silvestre and Victor Victor and Uruguayan singer-composer Daniel Viglietti. All of them will be attending the First International Meeting for the Needed Song

Another feature is that parallel will be held the Symposium for Recording Alternative Houses with the aim of exchanging ideas and experiences by authors, singers, experts, musicologists and domestic and foreign cultural promoters.

Cubadisco 2007 will be attended by more than a hundred composers and experts from 17 countries to represent the most varied genders of contemporary music as the concept this year is wider than ever.

Cuban music will have all its different scope represented from pop music to elaborated music, with a plurality of genders and styles as a legitimate expression of national culture, wealthy for its roots and diversity. The event is looking forward to advertise, promote and market the best Cuban sound. The Fair, in fact, isn't a competitive event for a market, but a way to enhance national cultural values.

Awards were presented to Anthology of Afro-Cuban Music, produced by Maria Teresa Linares for EGREM and Complete Works for Piano, Voice, Guitar and Chorus by Harold Gramatges, for Unicorn.

Awards extended to a collection of works by 19th century composer Nicolas Ruiz Espadero by pianist Cecilio Tieles (Colibri Productions) and a huge part of the Alejandro Garcia Caturla, one of Cuban avant-guard music in the XX century, by Promusica Duet (National Museum of Music).

Amid the most recommended CD's are "Aragon Greatest Hits" by the world famous Aragon Orchestra, the New Trova album "Greetings Troubadour" by nine trobadours, and "A little of everything" by Paulo FG and his Band for dancing music.

New trends like Rap and Hip Hop are present with "El Gremio" by El Gremio (a group of different performers in this musical style)

Cubadisco 2008 will be a tribute to Africa and its Diaspore and its motto will be "Music and Poetry", announced promoters of the event.

Source: Cubarte