With the political opening-up of Cuba comes a project aiming to throw light on Cuba's forgotten musical legacy. Cuba's heritage of classical music is composed...

With the political opening-up of Cuba comes a project aiming to throw light on Cuba's forgotten musical legacy. Cuba's heritage of classical music is composed largely of three strands - the inheritance of colonial times and the subsequent influence of African and European musicians - but even after three hundred years of development, most Cuban composers remain unknown to international audiences. Most of the pieces on this release are salon works that blend Chopin and Gottschalk to charm the listener, but Comella's ambitions also went further, with the first sonata published by any Cuban composer.