With Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month in full swing, I wanted to tell you about the 5 flute works, you need to listen to for this Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. As a First-Generation Cuban-American, it was always disheartening to hear that this music was not considered "Classical" Enough but more and more flutists like me are wanting to program more works by Hispanic/Latinx Composers. If you're curious to know what's on this list, then keep on reading!😊
1. Miami Flute Suite Op.111- Miguel del Aguila (b.1957)
I have only known about the Miami Flute Suite for the last 4-5 years and when I heard a recording of Nestor Torres play it during the first year of the Pandemic, I fell in love with this piece and being born and raised in Miami, this captures the essence of my hometown. Miguel del Aguila is a Uruguayan-American Composer who has written several works for the flute including Malambo for Flute and Orchestra (Originally written for Bassoon and Piano but it was transcribed for Flute and Orchestra and was premiered at the 2022 National Flute Association Convention in Chicago with Demarre McGill as the soloist)
2. Canción de Cuna for Flute and Piano- Samuel Zyman (b.1956)
I have been familiar with the works of Mexican-American Composer Samuel Zyman since around 2015 (I was still studying at NWSA at the time) because I learned about his Sonata for Flute and Piano (1997) which has become one of the most popular contemporary flute sonatas in the flute repertoire. Canción de Cuna was written in 2019 and commissioned by Cindy Anne Broz who played it in honor of her mother and Zyman was inspired by lullabies he heard as a child when he wrote this piece. It's not as popular as his flute sonatas but it's a piece that I feel should be everyone's radar.
3. Vals Venezolano and Contradanza- Paquito D'Rivera (b.1948)
Paquito D'Rivera is a Cuban Clarinetist, Saxophonist and Composer that I have been listening to since I was 9 years old but as a young flute student, I was disappointed that there wasn't a lot of flute music by Cuban composers that could be performed in a classical setting. I was pleased to find out that not only did he write this piece for Flute but he also wrote La Fleur de Cayenne for Flute and Piano and Gran Danzón Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (also known as The Bel Air Concerto), a work that was commissioned by the National Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic for Brazilian-Italian American Flutist Marina Piccinini (I got the chance to meet her at the 2022 NFA Convention in Chicago).
4. Mångata: Reflejos de La Luna en El Jerte- Francisco López (b.1986)
Written in 2018 by Spanish Flutist/Composer Francisco López, Mångata is a piece that I love listening to because of its virtuosity and it was one of the first pieces that I listened to by a Hispanic/Latinx Composer where I said "I would love to program this in a concert/recital". Not to mention that it's written by a Fellow Millennial.
5. The Hibiee Jibiees- Marco Granados (b.1960)
This happens to be one of my top 5 favorite pieces written by a Hispanic/Latinx Composer. The Hibiee Jibiees was originally written for solo flute in 2018 by Venezuelan Flutist/Composer Marco Granados (I had the opportunity to meet him at the most recent NFA Convention in San Antonio) and it's in the style of Joropo (a Traditional Venezuelan Genre). He has two other versions of this piece: He arranged it for Two Flutes (I recently performed the two flute version with my sister) and He arranged it for Flute and Viola (He did that arrangement specifically for Lorna McGhee and her husband David). Other works he has written or transcribed include Natalia (a Traditional Venezuelan Waltz Originally written by Antonio Lauro and transcribed for Solo Flute) and La Bella y El Terco: Two Venezuelan Waltzes for Solo Flute. The video below is a recording of my sister Karina Eijo and I playing the two flute arrangement back in May at our Masters Flute Teacher's Recital in honor of her retirement.
This Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, if you are looking to expand your repertoire or wanting to explore outside of the European Standard Flute Repertoire, then you should visit Flauta Latinoamerica , an online database co-founded by several flutists from all over Latin America including Dr. Maria Fernanda Castillo, Professor of Flute at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Niurka Gonzalez a Scholar of Cuban Flute Music.
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Adios por ahora!!!!😊
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