David Virelles

In this vivid and exciting project, the Santiago-raised and New York-based pianist-composer David Virelles looks towards one melting pot from the vantage point of another. A far-reaching work with deep cultural roots, "Gnosis" speaks of transculturation and traditions, and of the complex tapestry of Cuba’s music – the sacred, the secular, and the ritualistic – but the work’s shapes and forms could only have been created by a gifted contemporary player thoroughly versed in the art of the improvisers. Strings, woodwinds and percussion all have their roles to play in "Gnosis", viewed by Virelles as “several families functioning within one unit: this dynamic symbolizes multicultural interaction.” Virelles’ responsive piano and the vocals and percussion of Román Díaz, a profound figure in the transmission of Afro-Cuban musical history, are at the centre of the action.

PERSONNEL:

DAVID VIRELLES, piano
ROMÁN DIAZ, percussion
COLLEEN COOK, calrinet
DIANNE AITKEN, flute
LYDIA MUNCHINSKY, cello
CHERYL OCKRANT, cello
DAVID SCHOTZKO, parcussion
BLAIR MACKAY, percussion
JORGE LUIS PAPIOSCO, percussion
REIMUNDO SOSA, percussion
MAGDELYS SAV, percussion
AMHED MITCHELL, percussion
RICK SACKS, conductor

TRACKS:

01. Del Tabaco y el Azucar
02. Fititi Nongo
03. Lengua I
04. Erume Kondo
05. Benkomo
06. Tierra
07. De Ida y Vuelta I
08. Lengua II
09. De Ida y Vuelta I
10. Nuna
11. Epilogo
12. Dos
13. Caracola
14. Visiones Sonoras
15. De Portal
16. De Tres
17. De Cuando Era Chiquito