Ceylon Mitchell II, a DMA flute student with Dr. Sarah Frisof, performs works by the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer. Featuring traditional tonality and Baroque era forms, avant-garde and aleatoric techniques, and Afro-Cuban strains, the program selections span Brouwer’s three stages of composition and represent his eclectic sound universe. Throughout his output, his music is a kind of musical cartography and allegory of Latin America, with its most emblematic landscapes, characters and cultures. Passages with controlled indeterminacy and extended techniques in the musical forces (flute, guitar, and piano) create fascinating textures and colorful soundscapes connected to ancient and modern Latin American literature and culture.
PROGRAM
Sonata Para Flauta Sola (1960)
-Preludio
-Tonada
-Pequeña Toccata
Sonata Mitologia De Las Aguas No.1 (2009)
-Nacimiento del Amazonas
-El Lago escondido de los Mayas
*Cristian Perez, guitar
Leo Brouwer: La Region Mas Transparente (1982)
*Alex Kostadinov, piano
Many of the early great composers and performers of the choro genre were Afro-Brazilians, like Patapio Silva and Pixinguinha. In this lecture, Ceylon Mitchell talks about Pixinguinha, the father of Brazilian choro. Pixinguinha’s compositions and playing style are by far the most popular and have a heavy influence to this day. Ceylon will demonstrate Pixinguinha’s compositional innovations, such as his use of counterpoint melody.
This is a free, in-person, and socially distanced event that will later be posted to EducArte’s YouTube page.
Ceylon Mitchell, a 2021 Strathmore Resident Artist, brings his ensemble and their passion for the Brazilian Choro and Afro-Caribbean music to St. Mary’s County. The choro, birthed in Rio de Janeiro in the mid 19th century, has its roots in African syncopated rhythms and European dance forms, including the lundú, the polka, and the habanera – an intriguing musical blend. The program also includes chamber music by Afro-Cuban composers.
