Classic Meets Cuba

Read About This Recording

What would happen if you took three German classical musicians and teamed them up with two Cuban percussionists? Well, you don't have to imagine it because that is exactly what happened one night in Havana and the result of that musical marriage is the music on this new release, aptly titled Classic Meets Cuba.

At first the combination might seem ill-conceived — kind of like combining beef sauerbraten with salsa, which sounds anything but appealing. But when you hear Mozart or Bach infused with the infectious beats of Cuban music, you will be hooked. Here the Klazz Brothers and Cuba Percussion bounce through a program of absolutely infectious tracks. The melodies provided by some of the giants of classical music are merged with the propulsive, smooth beats of Cuban and Latin rhythms, yielding a sound that is painfully difficult to describe. Let me just say that listening to this music without tapping your foot or standing up and swinging with the music is virtually impossible. Every one of the 16 tracks is well-conceived and executed and the recording has sparkling sound that blends the classical instruments with the different percussive sounds.

This is not kitschy music; this is an exciting new take on music with a beat and feeling you will find unique.

—Jacob Anthony

Contents

Mozart: Mambozart (Symphony No. 40 in G Minor); Brahms: Cuban Dance (Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor: Allegro; Vivace); Guten Abend (Guten Abend — Gute Nacht); Schubert: Danzon De La Trucha (Quintet D667 in A Major Trout Quintet for Piano, Violin, Cello and Double Bass, Op. 114); Bach: Preludio (Suite No. 1 for Cello Solo in G Major: Prelude BWV1007); Air (Air BWV991 in C Minor); Beethoven: Afrolise (Albumblatt für Elise in A Minor); Pathétique I, II & III (Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 in C Minor Pathétique); Salsa No. V (Symphony No. 5 Op. 67 in C Minor Destiny); Monti: Czardas (Czàrdás for Violin & Piano); Chopin: Étude (Etude Op. 10 No. 3 in E Major Tristesse); Bizet: Carmen Cubana (Carmen — Suite II, No. 2 Habanera); Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumble Bee (Zar Saltan, Op. 57); Haydn: Anthem (String Quarter No. 77 in C Major Op. 76,3 Emperor Quartet.

Klazz Brothers: Tobias Forster, Piano; Kilian Forster, Bass; Tim Hahn, Drums; Cuba Percussion: Alexis Herrera Estevez, Timbales/Vocals; Elio Rodrigues Luis, Congas/Vocals.

CD Special Features

High-spirited Latin interpretations of classical favorites by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and more. Winner of the 2003 Echo Prize