Ekkozone proudly presents Nsambia Mpungun from Cuban composer Louis Franz Aguirre, one of the foremost Latin American composers of his generation, and featuring three of his fiercest champions and interpreters, Karolina Leedo (flutes), Mina Fred (viola), and Adam Ørvad (accordion).

This intoxicating collection of premiere recordings of solo and chamber works for viola, flute, and accordion bears all the hallmarks of Aguirre’s mystical and spiritual musical universe, which is intimately connected with rites and texts of the Afro-Cuban Yoruba tradition.

In 2011, Aguirre had the idea to bring together, in a single ensemble, these three musicians who were both able and willing to confront the particular challenges of his music, saying, “we have shared fifteen years of close collaboration — years of exploration, dedication, and deeply rewarding musical exchange, resulting in the works on this album….My gratitude to them is both profound and enduring.”

Nsambia Mpungun for amplified solo viola and singer unfolds as a work of transcendental, mystical, and ritual intensity, shifting between a wide spectrum of complex scratch sounds and a more contemplative dimension. Olakun II for viola and accordion has a profound physicality, paying tribute to the powerful and mysterious marine Orisha of the Afro-Cuban tradition. Oggún Adeolá for flute, viola, and accordion reveals Louis Aguirre’s most intimate, quiet, and mystical side. A theme presented in the bass flute is followed by eighteen variations, ending with a solo accordion chorale. The continually evolving, organ-like sonority pays homage to Bach. Fantaisie-Impromptu (after The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí) for accordion is Aguirre’s homage to Salvador Dalí, directly inspired by the spaniard’s masterwork. In an unusual twist for the Cuban avantgarde composer, there is also a nod to a Franz Schubert: a shadow of the Fantasia in F minor for four-hand piano. In Aguirre’s own words, “It’s a melted Schubert, like Dali’s clocks”.

The final work, Gardens of the Beloved (Three Tropes for solo alto flute/flute), is conceived as an instrumental monodrama based on texts by the Persian poet Rumi, combining Christian and Islamic references with Aguirre’s ever-present connection to Afro-Cuban and Carnatic traditions.

Multi-award-winning composer, violinist, and conductor Louis Franz Aguirre was born in Cuba in 1968 and is now based in Denmark. His music has been described by critics as: ‘music from hell’ and ‘not for the faint-hearted.’ His numerous works include operas, orchestral and chamber music, works for soloists, vocal music, choral, electronic, and didactic music. He has received commissions from leading international ensembles and soloists, and his works have been performed at major festivals across the world. He was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Camagüey Symphony Orchestra from 1995-2002 and has appeared as a guest conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra of Havana and the Santiago de Cuba Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he taught at the Camagüey Music Conservatory and was the Artistic Director and Chairman of the Camagüey International Festival of Contemporary Music (1996–2002), which he founded.