Leo Brouwer
Progressive Cuban composer and conductor Leo Brouwer was encouraged musically by his father, an amateur guitarist, and began playing the guitar when he was 13. He then became a descendant in an important guitar lineage: Isaac Nicola, his first real instructor, had studied under Emilio Pujol, who himself had been a student of Francisco Tárrega.
Brouwer gave his first performance at 17 and soon was composing music as well. His Prelude was written in 1956 followed by Fugue in 1959. He furthered his musical education in America, studying composition at the Juilliard School and at Hart College in Hartford.
He became director of the Music Department of the Cinema Institute of Cuba in 1961 as well as professor of composition in the Music Conservatory and musical advisor to the National Radio and Television Chair of Havana. He was also named director of the experimental department of the Cuban Institute of Cinema Arts and Industry, where he continued his own work as composer.
Brouwer was the first Cuban composer to use aleatory forms in his compositions. His varied output includes many works for guitar; percussion; prepared and non-prepared piano; a ballet; a chorus of 12 members, three children, and harp; and several orchestral pieces. He has also written music for more than 100 films.
Brouwer's early compositions reflect a Cuban influence and are strongly rhythmic while his later works veer towards a more minimalist style. His passion for the guitar has remained and he is perhaps best known for his Etudes Simples, a group of 20 studies for the classical guitar where technique and musicality function as one. Brouwer has also explored the possibilities of large-scale works for the guitar, particularly in a piece written for the 1979 Esztergom Guitar Competition in Hungary. For the event, Brouwer composed a piece utilizing an orchestra comprised of 200 guitarists.
Beyond his compositional output, Brouwer has conducted some of the world's leading orchestras including the Philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orchestra Nouvelle Philharmonic de Paris, and the Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid. In addition, Brouwer retains duties as principal conductor of the Cordoba Symphony in Spain, artistic director of the Havana Symphony and a member of the International Council of Music. Brouwer has also participated as a guitarist and composer in the festivals of Aldeburgh, Avignon, Edinburgh, Spoleto, Berlin, Toronto, Martinique, and Rome, among others.
© TiVo
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Scarlatti: Guitar Sonatas
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jun 1974
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Leo Brouwer De Bach a los Beatles (Leo Brouwer - Manuel de Falla - Joao Pernambuco)
Classical - Released by EGREM on 5 Jul 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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La Obra Guitarrística de Leo Brouwer, Vol. 1: Brouwer por Brouwer (Remasterizado)
Conjunto Instrumental Nuestro Tiempo, Leo Brouwer
Classical - Released by Legacy Recordings on 1 Jul 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ancient Works Live Concerts 70S (Live)
Folk - Released by Ediciones Espiral Eterna on 14 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leo & Ichiro: Penny Lane
Classical - Released by Camerata Tokyo on 25 Oct 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live at Winterthur
EOS Guitar Quartet, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Leo Brouwer
Classical - Released by Eos Guitar Quartet on 9 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jens Bang-Rasmussen - Un Dia de Noviembre
Classical - Released by CDklassisk on 13 Mar 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Book of Imaginary Beings: The Music of Leo Brouwer for Two Guitars
Classical - Released by MusicMasters on 27 Mar 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Modern Guitar Music
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
De Bach A Los Beatles (Jesus Ortega - Eliseo Grenet - Leo Brouwer)
Classical - Released by EGREM on 5 Jul 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henze: El Cimarrón
William Pearson, Karlheinz Zoeller, Leo Brouwer, Stomu Yamash’ta, Hans Werner Henze
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elegíaco
Leo Brouwer, La orquesta CR, Fernando Marina
Classical - Released by Ediciones Pentagrama on 9 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Recuerdos de Lieja (Live in Lukowski Guitar Festival)
Pop - Released by Artop on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Masters of the Guitar, Vol. 3: Cuba
José Rey de la Torre, Elias Barreiro, Héctor Garcia, Juan Mercadal, Leo Brouwer
Classical - Released by IDIS on 14 Jul 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Henze: El Cimarrón
William Pearson, Karlheinz Zoeller, Leo Brouwer, Stomu Yamash’ta, Hans Werner Henze
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Esencial (Edición Especial Limitada)
Classical - Released by Ediciones Espiral Eterna on 1 Feb 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mitología de las Aguas
Folk - Released by Ediciones Espiral Eterna on 26 Sep 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beatles Story - World Premiere - Love Movie Themes (Live in Lukowski Guitar Festival)
Ichiro Suzuki, Leo Brouwer, Chamber orchestra
Pop - Released by Artop on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nueva Música de Cámara
Classical - Released by Martín Marino - Ediciones Espiral Eterna on 18 Mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo