(Classical, Guitar, Orchestra, Beatles) Leo Brouwer - Popular Works (Flavio Cucchi, Tessarini Chamber Orchestra, Enrique Ugarte) - 1998, MP3, 320 kbps

Leo Brouwer, a composer, guitarist, percussionist and conductor, was born in Havana (Cuba) in 1939. Young Leo's father, Juan Brouwer, was a doctor and an amateur guitarist. Leo first learned music from his father and his aunt, Caridad Mezquida. His great-uncle was the well-known composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona. Leo began playing the guitar himself at age 13. His first significant teacher was Isaac Nicola, a virtuoso guitarist who also composed for his instrument and arranged the music of others for guitar. Leo completed his musical studies in the United States, first at the Juillard School of Music and subsequently at the Department of Music of Hartford University. He was only 17 when he made his own professional debut. Early compositions include Prelude (1956) and Fugue (1959), both influenced by Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky.
After completing his music education, Brouwer returned to Cuba. There he immediately became a major figure in his country's music establishment. From 1960 to 1961 he was the Music Advisor to the National Radio and Television Company in Havana. In 1960, Brouwer became Director of the Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematograficos [Cuban Institute of Film Arts and Industry]. That position is one of the reasons that the composer has written more than 30 film scores, some of which were box-office hits around the world. Brouwer was also a Professor of Composition at the Conservatorio Nacional [National Conservatory] from 1961-67.
Leo Brouwer's enormous influence on guitar music in particular and classical music in general is demonstrated by more than a hundred recordings on which he has played, composed or conducted. Brouwer's compositions reflect classical, Afro-Cuban, jazz and avant-garde influences. His many film scores have brought his music to the attention of a huge audience around the world. Brouwer's influence in his native country results in part from the important positions he has held in Cuban music institutions.
As a composer, Brouwer has not limited himself to music for guitar. He also has an extensive catalogue of symphonic, chamber and instrumental works, including music for solo cello, piano, percussion, a flute concerto, a harp concerto. As a conductor, Brouwer is well-traveled and has been much appreciated by his audiences. Among the ensembles he has led are the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scottish National Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Chamber Orchestra and the Mexico National Symphony Orchestra. Brouwer has been General Manager of the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra for ten years. Since 1992 he has led the Orquesta de Cordoba. He is also founder and director of the Cuban Guitar Competition and Festival, held every other year, and founder and director of the Orquesta de Cordoba [Cordoba Orchestra], an accomplished symphony orchestra in the Andalusia region of Spain.
Brouwer enjoys arranging the classical and popular music of other composers for classical guitar. He has arranged Scott Joplin's The Entertainer and Elite Syncopations for solo guitar. His recorded Beatles arrangements include an album entitled From Yesterday to Penny Lane: Seven Songs After The Beatles (1994).