Heitor Villa-Lobos: El canto do cisne negro (The Song of the Black Swan)
Constantino Gaito: Cello Sonata, Op. 26
Luis Saglie: Dos canciones para violeta: II. Se juntan dos palomitas
Jose Elizondo: Danzas Latinoamericanas: I. Otoño en Buenos Aires (version for cello and piano)
Joaquin Nin: Seguida Española
Manuel Ponce: Cello Sonata

If you enjoy the sound of the cello and are looking to explore some rarely heard Latin American compositions for this highly expressive instrument, this new recording is for you. For example, despite being a concert favorite for cello/piano duos, there only seems to be a handful of recordings of the beautiful El canto do cisne negro by Heitor Villa-Lobos, in which the cello intones a beautifully melancholy lament over an endless flow of rising and descending arpeggios on the piano, like a swan adrift on water. Whilst the Camille Saint-Saëns swan is all about grace and elegance, this one projects a sense of grief and heartache in a highly expressive fashion. And except for one or two recordings, the other works on this CD are not readily available.

Most of the composers collected here spent some time studying in Europe so their music blends the influence of both cultures seamlessly. Even the music of Luis Saglie, born as recently as 1974, and who has composed symphonic works, operas, concertos and film scores, communicates with the listener in traditional terms. All in all this is a very well curated selection of neglected works for cello and piano featuring Vienna based Dominican Republic cellist Nicole Peña Comas, who has been touring the world as a chamber ensemble musician, as well as teaching in Ecuador. She delivers a highly cantabile style of playing, which combines a light touch with a rich and resonant sound. One of pianist Hugo Llanos Campos' many achievements was winning 2nd Prize at the National Piano Competition Claudio Arrau in 2006, at age 12, followed by plenty of prizes and awards since. As recently as 2020, he completed his Master's degree with distinction in Vienna. Hugo and Nicole complement each other's playing perfectly, with finely balanced contrast and nuances throughout and dramatic flair when needed. For example, if you haven't heard the highly passionate slow movement of Constantino Gaito's Cello Sonata, that alone is worth obtaining this recording.