La Habanera-The Piano Music of Ernesto Lecuona—Kathryn Stott, piano (EMI 56803)
Here at WCLV, we are currently engaged in merging two music databases into one, and it involves the work of several volunteers—for whom we give daily thanks—tirelessly keypunching CD information work-by-work. This 1999 release is one of the discs just added, and it’s a gem I couldn’t resist sharing during the laid-back days of summer. (It also cost one of our volunteers extra time as it contains no fewer than 23 tracks!) Ernesto Lecuona, best known for his Malagueña was born in Cuba but made his fortune in the United States. In 1942, his great hit, Always in My Heart ( Siempre en mi Corazón) was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song. Kathryn Stott clearly has great affection and respect for these delightful pieces. I agree with James Miller of Fanfare, who said “…she gives Lecuona's songful miniatures a gentle, lilting caress to which they certainly respond.”
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