Aperio

https://www.aperioamericas.org/hot-buttered-rumba

Showcasing the adventurous spirit of contemporary Latin American music, Hot Buttered Rumba irreverently explores the spellbinding lyricism, sensuous harmonies, and bold rhythmic gestures that define South American classical and popular musical styles.

The title of the program borrows from the playful finale of Robert X. Rodriguez’s Aspen Sketches: Hot Buttered Rumba. Festive and light-hearted in character, this work employs traditional Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, while depicting the intoxicating influence of the celebrated beverage which gives the work its title. This rollicking piano solo is contrasted with a virtuosic duo, Tentado por la Samba, a sensual flirtation for cello and piano that climaxes in a passionate and vigorous dance finale.

John Mackey’s Breakdown Tango delivers a punchy and swaggering update to what is arguably Latin America’s most internationally celebrated groove. Described as “darkly dramatic” by the New York Times, and as “an appealing, and at times wonderfully trashy piece” by The…