Leo Brouwer's Biography

Leo Brouwer was born on 1st March 1939 in La Habana, Cuba. He received his first musical studies from his father Juan Brouwer who was an amateur guitarist and his aunt, Caridad Mezquida. His father encouraged him to play works by his favorite composers like Francisco Tarrega, Heitor Villa Lobos, Enrique Granados, mostly by ear. His great-uncle was the well-known composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona.

Brouwer began playing the guitar himself at age 13 under the tuition of Isaac Nicola who had a significant contribution to his studies. He was only 17 when he made his own professional debut. His early compositions include Prelude(1956) and Fugue (1959), both influenced by Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky. His academic training took place in the U.S., at the Julliard School of Music and the Hartt College of Music, where his major subject of study was composition.

After completing his music education, Brouwer returned to his native country, Cuba. There he immediately became a major figure in his country's music establishment. From 1960 to 1961 he was the Music Advisor to the National Radio and Television Company in Havana. In 1960, Brouwer became Director of the Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematograficos [Cuban Institute of Film Arts and Industry]. That position is one of the reasons that the composer has written more than 30 film scores, some of which were box-office hits around the world. Brouwer was also a Professor of Composition at the Conservatorio Nacional [National Conservatory] from 1961-67
As a composer Brouwer is primarily self-taught, and his development as a creator of music can be traced logically through three stages of compositional style. His first period began in 1954 with a series of pieces that explored the possibilities of the guitar. Brouwer makes free use of musical materials from his Cuban roots. Pieces with traditional forms such as fugue are present alongside works which incorporate the vital rhythmic energy of his homeland..

In 1961, Brouwer attended the Warsaw Autumn festival in Poland where he contacted the music of Penderecki, Baird and Bussotti - avant-garde composers of the time. Until 1968 he had assimilated these ideas into an entirely unique and personal style. He has categorized his style as "national Hyper-Romanticism". His piece for guitar orchestra, Acerca del sol, el aire y la sonorisa(1978). was the first in this mature phase. It displays all the characteristics of his new style: a return to Afro-Cuban roots mixed with elements of tonality, traditional form, programmatic gestures, and minimalism.

As a conductor, Brouwer is well-traveled and has been much appreciated by his audiences. Among the ensembles he has led are the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scottish National Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Chamber Orchestra and the Mexico National Symphony Orchestra. Brouwer has been General Manager of the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra for ten years. Since 1992 he has led the Orquesta de Cordoba. He is also founder and director of the Cuban Guitar Competition and Festival, held every other year.
Brouwer is both founder and director of the Orquesta de Cordoba, an accomplished symphony orchestra in the Andalucia region of Spain.

Some of his works:

Brouwer enjoyed a close relationship for many years with the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. Hika: In Memoriam Toru Takemitsu was completed shortly after Takemitsu's death.
Cuban Landscape with Carillons is a fascinating piece which uses repeated fragments, harmonics and some special effects...
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The religion of the Yoruba was brought to Cuba by African slaves and Orishas is the Yoruban word for Afro-Cuban gods and goddesses. Brouwer's Rito de los Orishas (Rite of the Orishas) is a dark, powerful, rhythmic work in two movements.
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Un Dia de Noviembre (A Day in November) was composed for a black and white film made by Humberto Solaz in 1967.
Brouwer enjoys arranging classical and popular music of other composers for classical guitar. Some of his arrangements include Scott Joplin's The Entertainer and Elite Syncopations for solo guitar. His recorded Beatles arrangements include an album entitled From Yesterday to Penny Lane: Seven Songs After The Beatles, Arc Music 1247 (1994). The songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Guitarist Flavio Cucchi accompanies the Tessarin Chamber Orchestra led by Enrique Ugarte, Conductor.

His enormous influence on guitar music in particular and classical music in general is demonstrated by more than a hundred recordings on which he has played, composed or conducted. Brouwer's compositions reflect classical, Afro-Cuban, jazz and avant-garde influences. His many film scores have brought his music to the attention of a huge audience around the world. Brouwer's influence in his native country results in part from the important positions he has held in Cuban music institutions.