Luis Carlos Figueroa: Orchestral and Chamber Music
Luis Carlos Figueroa, born in 1923, is one of the senior figures in Colombian music, much esteemed as composer, pianist and teacher. His works marry spontaneous lyrical charm — perhaps with a French twist from his student days in Paris — with vibrant South American folk influences, thus siting him downstream from Canteloube and Villa-Lobos. His 1986 Piano Concerto, for example, combines rhythms from the Caribbean and the Valle del Cauca around his hometown of Medellin with classical forms and structures, creating a work full of passion and energy. The String Quartet is a first recording; the other works have not been released outside Colombia before.
Wilson Casallas, piano
Bryan Muñoz, flute
Orquesta Sinfónica del Conservatorio Nacional de Colombia, orchestra
Guerassim Voronkov, conductor
Cuarteto Q-Arte, string quartet
Listen To This Recording:
-
Suite for Orchestra (1980)
- I Pastoral
- II Nocturno
- III Valse
- IV Final: Allegro moderato
- I Allegro
- II Moderato
- III Allegro scherzando
- I Allegro
- II Andantino
- III Allegro
- I Allegro moderato
- II Scherzo
- III Lento
- IV Animé
Piano Concerto in A minor (1986)
Concertino for Flute, String Orchestra and Timpani (1968)
String Quartet in C Major (1956)
Fanfare Magazine :
‘…there is a thriving musical culture in the continent to the south of us that few of us up here in El Norte know much about. So thanks must be tendered to Toccata Classics for helping us fill in a lacuna in our musical knowledge… All in all, this CD is quite enjoyable throughout…. The music is the deal-maker here.’
—David DeBoor Canfield, Fanfare Magazine
American Record Guide :
‘Everything on this program is direct, lively, unpretentious, fresh, lucid, charming, nicely made, and immediately pleasing to the ear…Listeners attuned to Villa-Lobos, Guarnieri, early Ginastera, and other Latin American composers of similar proclivities will find much to enjoy in Figueroa’s music, though I’d guess that the airy and melodious Piano Concerto is likely to be the favorite.’
—Mark L. Lehman, American Record Guide
MusicWeb International :
‘Toccata are always up for the challenge of the unfamiliar. Are you? This is attractive music that is well worth your ear-time.’
—Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International
Classical Lost and Found :
‘The instrumental timbre is pleasing in the orchestral selections as well as the quartet, and the soloists are well captured and balanced against the orchestra.’
—Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found