Andrés Alén Rodríguez is a prestigious Cuban pianist, composer, and educator; born in 1950. He is one of the most talented Cuban pianists of the second half of the 20th century.

He began his early musical studies with his father, Osvaldo Alén. He entered the National School of Art (ENA) (120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) in 1962, where he studied with Margot Díaz Dorticós and Cecilio Tieles. He later completed a postgraduate course with Lev Vlasenko. In 1970, he completed his studies with excellent academic performance and began his professional career as a concert pianist and piano teacher. During this time, he composed his first works and broke into the field of popular music as a performer and composer.

He worked as a professor and head of the piano department at the National School of Art (ENA) (120th Street between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) from 1979 to 1988. In 1980, he participated in the Chopin Competition in Poland.

In 1981, he participated in the Prague Spring Festival and a year later toured Czechoslovakia, participated in the Beethoven Festival in Tirse, and performed in the former Soviet Union. During his visit to India in 1984, he gave recitals in nine cities and lectured at several of its conservatories. He also performed concerts in the German Democratic Republic.

During those years, he participated in the Festival of Contemporary Music of Socialist Countries. In 1989, he joined the musical group of the famous Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, where he not only played keyboards but also composed and arranged music. In 1991, he joined the group Perspectiva, with which he worked until 1995. With both groups, Andrés Alén expanded his intense international career and developed his skills as a jazz musician and arranger.

As a pedagogue, Alén has trained several generations of pianists who have won both national and international awards. As a concert artist, he has performed with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra, Santiago de Cuba, the Nuestro Tiempo Instrumental Ensemble, and the National Symphony Orchestra.

He and Miriam Ramos won the 1999 Cubadisco Grand Prix for “Estás conmigo (Tribute to Bola de Nieve). He was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Recording in 2001 for his album “Pianoforte,” for which he had won the Cubadisco Award that same year.

Andrés Alén’s repertoire encompasses Cuban popular music as a pianist, as well as baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary music. His creative influence begins with “Danzón Legrand,” which reflects a synthesis of Cuban identity while also expressing his admiration for the French composer and pianist Michel Legrand. The work “Theme with Variations and Fugue” was premiered by saxophonist Miguel Villafruela; in this piece, Alén demonstrates his mastery of the major forms of Western music and his profound knowledge of Cuban popular and classical music.

Among his other works, mention should be made of: “Theme with Variations”, “Litany”, “Choral”, “Unison” for saxophones; Sonata, “Allegro”, “Andante” and “Brillante” for flute and piano; Sonata, “Allegro”, “Andante”, “Allegro” for soprano saxophone and piano; Theme with Variations: “Life” by Silvio Rodríguez and “The Brief Space in Which You Are Not” by Pablo Milanés; Variations for alto saxophone and piano.

His discography also includes the following CDs: Miradas Furtivas (Unicornio, Cuba, 1999) as music producer; Kubilete (Unicornio, Cuba, 2000); Canciones de Navidad (Unicornio, Cuba, 2000) and Cánteme (Unicornio, Cuba, 2000).

Andrés Alén is a well-rounded musician; his gift as a communicator is evident in his approach to popular and cultured topics, and in his total mastery of his instrument.

12.14.6 José María Vitier García-Marruz

José María Vitier García-Marruz is one of Cuba’s greatest composers and pianists. He was born in Havana on January 7, 1954. His childhood grew up in a highly cultured family with deep Cuban roots. His parents, Cintio Vitier and Fina García-Marruz, are renowned poets and essayists.

He began studying piano in 1962 with Cecilia Echevarría; later, in 1965, he took lessons from Margot Rojas. He studied with César López at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory (Rastro No. 1 and Espada, Centro Habana, Havana), where he studied from 1968 to 1975.

He began working in 1975 at the Matanzas Provincial Music School, a date that coincided with his first film compositions and the musicalization of the texts contained in Mirta Aguirre’s book “Juegos y otros poemas” (Games and Other Poems), aspects that would be of enormous influence on his later work. In 1977, he joined the Síntesis Group as a pianist and composer, while also teaching at the National School of Art (ENA) (120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana).

In 1979, he participated as an accompanying pianist for violinist Rosa María Estrada at the Flag for Peace Festival in Bulgaria. In 1983, he founded his own group, which included himself as director and pianist; Lázaro González on violin and keyboards; Nicolás Sirgado on electric bass and guitar; and Miguel A. Rodríguez, Eugenio Osorio, and Antonio Carreras on percussion.

José María Vitier traveled to the German Democratic Republic in 1984 to participate in the World Festival of Youth and Students. In 1986, he wrote the theme that still defines the New Latin American Film Festival. He also participated in the New York Latino Festival and toured Mexico. That same year, on a second tour to that country, he participated in the Cervantino Festival. In 1987, he left with his group for Indianapolis, United States.

He performed at the 1987 Jazz Plaza Festival and the Varadero International Film Festival. In 1988, he participated for the second time in the Cervantino Festival; and at the Venice International Film Festival, he also received the Ocella Award for Best Film Score: Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enorme (A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings). In 1990, he visited Venezuela with his group, appearing at the Mérida International Film Festival. In 1991, he performed at the Montreal and Toronto Jazz Festivals in Canada, and in Paris, he performed at the Afro-Caribbean Culture Festival, his last performance with his group.

He received the Coral Award for the music of the Venezuelan-Spanish film Mascaró, the American Hunter in 1992. In 1993, he traveled to Canada again, where he gave concerts with his piano music at the Glenn Gould Theatre in Toronto, accompanied by Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnet and double bassist Carlos del Puerto. In 1994, he moved to Spain with Pablo Milanés and received the Pananbí Award at the 5th Asunción Festival (Paraguay) that same year for the music of the film Fresa y Chocolate. The following year, he served on the jury of the Second International Piano Competition held in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. He won the Grand Prize at Cubadisco 98 for Fresa y Chocolate.

José María Vitier was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album of 2000 among the five best classical music albums for his work “Salmo de las Américas.” In 2002, he won the award for his compilation “Canciones del Buen Amor.”

He has composed music for various media outlets, including television, film, theater, and radio, as well as children’s, chamber, and choral music. His major film works include: Polvo Rojo (Red Dust) and Techo de Vidrio (Glass Ceiling) (1982); El corazón sobre la tierra (The Heart on the Earth) (1983); En tres y dos (Three and Two) (1985); Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enorme (A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings) (1988); Río Negro (The Black River) (1989); The Century of Enlightenment (1992); Mascaró, the American Hunter (1992); Fresa y chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate) (1993); El elefante y la bicicleta (The Elephant and the Bicycle) (1994); Salón México (The Mexico Salon) (1995); Cosas que dejé en La Habana (Things I Left in Havana) (1997), and A Paradise Under the Stars (A Paradise Under the Stars) (1999).

Other compositions include: Trio (1997) for flute, cello, and piano; Risk (1997) for flute, double bass, percussion, and piano; Yearning (1998) for synthesizers, double bass, drums, and two pianos; Farewell (1998) for oboe, double bass, percussion, and piano; Julito the Fisherman (1998) for flute, guitar, tres, double bass, percussion, and piano; The Hero (1998) for two flutes, double bass, synthesizers, and piano; Rebellion (1998) for flute, two guitars, six and twelve strings, double bass, drums, and Chinese box; Son Dos (1998) for two guitars, two flutes, double bass, percussion, and piano (1979); La Soledad (1998) for flute, four cellos, double bass, synthesizers, and drums; and Ballad for a Combat (1998) for flute, double bass, synthesizers, percussion, and piano (1980). Opening I and II, string quartet, for flute, saxophone, synthesizer, Cuban percussion, drums and piano, (1984); Ludwig; Three Encounters; Barrock; Ballad and Rite; Blue Treasure and About an Ancient Song, (1985) for string quartet, flute, saxophone, synthesizer, Cuban percussion, drums and piano; They Shall Inherit the Earth, string quartet, for synthesizer and percussion and Various Ways of Waiting, for flute, trumpet, electric guitar, synthesizer, double bass, percussion and two pianos and Pasatiempo; Tell Me Yes; Signs on the Track; Rondo; Dialogues; The Heart on Earth and Isabel, for string quartet, flute, saxophone, double bass, synthesizer, Cuban percussion, drums and piano, (1986); Tango del nuevo pueblo viejo, for string quartet, piano and synthesizer, (1988); Tango del desierto, for violin, harp, guitar, harmonica and piano and Cortesanas I and II, violin, cello and harpsichord, for flute, double bass and piano, (1992); Cine de barrio, for guitar, synthesizers, vocalizos and piano, (1995); Sexy sax, for solo tenor saxophone, electric piano and guitar, double bass, drums, synthesizer, (1996); Rumba del salón México; De La Habana a Santiago and Calentando la pista, (1996), for piano, two alto saxophones, two tenors, baritone, trumpets, trombone, double bass, Cuban percussion: bongo, tumbadora, paila criolla, maracas and güiro, drums and piano.

His vocal works include: In the Hours of Risk and Combat (1978), text: José Martí, for voice and piano; Black Eyes (1992), text; Juan B. Ubago, for voice, synthesizer and piano; It’s Called Cuban, text: José Martí, for voice and piano; Living Flame of Love, text: San Juan de la Cruz, for voice, piano and double bass; Illusion of Reality, text: Silvia Rodríguez Rivero; I’m Afraid of Losing Wonder, text: Federico García Lorca, for voice, synthesizer and piano (1993); Through a Flowery Field, text: José Martí and The Air That Surrounds You, text: José María Vitier (1994); Clubs and Swords (1995), for voice, synthesizer and piano (1995).

For Chamber Orchestra, among other pieces, José María Vitier presents: Visión interior (1980), for solo guitar, strings and woodwind; El corazón sobre la tierra (1983), for strings and woodwind; Te seré fiel (I Will Be Faithful to You) (1986), for solo piano, strings and woodwind. Among his compositions for String Orchestra we can mention: Domingo (1979), for flute and accompanying piano; Theme of María Fernanda (1989), for piano and oboe for Symphony Orchestra; Evasión (1979); En las entrañas (In the entrails), Para empezar a vivir (To begin to live) and Tu verdadero rostro (Your true face) (1980); Por el mismo camino (1982); Resplandor (1986); Vuelo real (1988); Vals de la Casa Dorada (Waltz of the Golden House) (1989) and Concierto campestre (1992).

Some of his piano compositions include: Theme for Silvia and José Adrián (1974); Mediopunto (1977); Bolero de trova (1978); In silence it had to be (1979); Kaleidoscope and Ballad of Adolescent Love (1989); Contradanza No. 1 and Contradanza No. 2 (1991); Contradanza No. 3 (“Contradanza of the End of the Century”), Contradanza No. 4 (“Outside the Dance”), Prelude to Sofía (Sofía’s Theme) and Dove of the Afternoon (1992); Contradanza No. 5 (“Boys’ Game”) (1993); Strawberry and Chocolate (1994); Little Prayer, Fugitive and Son Montuno, The Peanut Vendor Left and Imaginary Danzón (1995). For piano and percussion: Fugue and Son Montuno (1992); Words in the Street, Ballad and Rite and Contradance No. 1 (1995); Kaleidoscope (1996). For piano and synthesizer: Rondo (1989); Tango with History (1991); Hidden Roots, Letters from Esteban, Carlos in the House in Madrid, Entry into Havana and Toast from Esteban (1992); Theme from Marina Soledad (1993); Love Theme from Mercedes (1995). For violin and piano: Variations (1978); Intimacy (1980); Miracle of the Flower (1988); Apache Tango (1992); Imaginary Danzón and Furtive Glances (1995).

Among his works composed for television series we can see: In silence it had to be (in collaboration with Sergio Vitier (1979); Julito the fisherman (in collaboration with Sergio Vitier), To begin to live and Martí and the children, (1980); The return of David (1981); On the same path (1982); Exit 19 and Stories of Lenin (1983); The frontier of duty (1986); Finlay and Game in self-defense (1988); Day and night (1989) and The century of lights (1992).

José María Vitier has received important awards, such as the Alejo Carpentier Medal and the Félix Varela Order in 2004; as well as the Distinction for National Culture awarded by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba. José María Vitier was nominated for the Tomás Luis de Victoria Ibero-American Music Prize.

On December 1, 2008, as part of the cultural program held during the Guadalajara International Book Fair, José María premiered the opera “Santa Anna” at the Guadalajara Diana Theater, along with the famous Mexican author Carlos Fuentes, with music composed by himself. This opera is a story of the seemingly heroic but tragic and self-centered life of former Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna during his various terms in office.

Currently, the collection 30 Years of Music by José María Vitier, published by the Autor Label, brings together eight CDs and two DVDs with eight anthology albums and previously unreleased recordings from a wide range of instrumental formats and genres, including jazz, symphonic and chamber music, and film soundtracks. This collection takes us from the nostalgia of the 1980s to the most current and representative works of this great Cuban musician.

In all his compositions, one perceives the incessant search for beauty, the breath of inspired melodies, and the creator’s thought in pursuit of a musical language that is always unique, always renewed. The music of this Cuban musical creator revolves around the fusion of the cultured and the popular, transcending the boundaries of both forms of music. The musical tradition of our country is implicit in all his works. Jazz and Latin American music are also essential references when analyzing his creations, which undoubtedly constitute a fusion of all these elements.