oct 2013 havana - cuba absolutely

WHAT’S ON

HAVANA!

Havana Guideto the BestPlaces to eat, Bars, Clubs& Museums

V Festival Leo Brouwer de Música de Cámara

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Sep 24 – Oct 13

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D'DISEGNO. Respuesta cubana!

Through

October p 13

OCT 2013

Praise be to OurVirgen de la CaridadBY Victoria Alcala

Just when you think you know CubansBY Conner Gorry

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Welcome to our new look - What’s On Havana for October 2013. Any feedback, comments and suggestions are always welcome. [email protected].

We have added a number of featured articles this month including a profile of Havana’s Horse Whisperer - Miguel Ginarte, a piece on Cubans devotion to Our Lady of Charity (La Virgen de la Caridad), Conner Gorry’s always insightful ‘Just when you think you know Cubans’ as well as detailed profiles and reviews of Maria Cienfuegos, Sue Herrod and Danza Combinatoria’s Tributo a El monte.

The V Festival Leo Brouwer de Música de Cámara is this month’s highlighted event with a program that has managed to combine in an innovative and daring way the traditional with the contemporary. Don’t miss Paco de Lucía en vivo (he is the soul of flamenco); De Vivaldi al minimalismo and the more ‘classical’, De sonatas, conciertos y fantasias.

Elsewhere the Museo de Bellas Artes continues its centenary program with exhibitions by Mario Carreño. If you like design you will love D’DISEGNO. Respuesta cubana! curated by Concha Fontenla at Factoría Habana and featuring Cuba’s best young designers.

If dance is your thing, highlights include the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Teatro Mella, Oct 9th), the premiere of Coincidencias produced by the Irene Rodríguez’s Spanish dance com-pany at the Teatro Nacional (Oct 18-19th) and Retazos’s Momentos produced by Isabel Bustos (Oct 16th).

In Havana’s theatre scene if you missed the brilliant Las lágrimas no hacen ruido al caer last month now’s you chance for it has an extended run at the Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht. The always audaciously good, (and not a little controversial), Teatro El Público, is performing Antigonón at the Teatro Trianón.

October is Brazilian cultural month with a varied program including a series of feature films, shorts and documentaries dedicated to the Leon Hirszman (Oct 7-13 at the Cine Chaplin).

Finally, October 20th (which is Cuban National Culture Day) marks the 145th Anniversary of the Cuban National Anthem, La Bayamesa, which was heard for the first time when rebel troops led by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes freed the city of Bayamo in 1868. Viva Cuba!

EDITORIALCover picture by Alexander Mene on Sep 8th, 2013 at the procession of Our Lady of Charity (La Virgen de la Caridad) around Nuestra Señora de la Caridad Parrish in Centro Habana.

Leo Brower (Sep 28, 2013) by Alexander Mene


Contents

CONTENTSOCTOBER 2013

Miguel Ginarte – Havana’s Horse Whisperer BY Margaret Atkins p 6

Just when you think you know CubansBY Conner Gorry p 8

Praise be to Our Lady of Charity! BY Lucia Lamadrid p 11

María Cienfuegos: using photography to overthrow the tedium BY Ricardo Alberto Pérez p 18

Rosario Cárdenas & Danza Combina-toria’s Tributo a El monte BY Victoria Alcala p 21

V Festival Leo Brouwer de Música de CámaraBY Victoria Alcala p 32

Up Into the SilenceInterview WITH Sue Herrod p 36

Caldosa & rum for the fiesta del barrio BY Victoria Alcala p 46

The birth of the Cuban National Anthem BY Lucia Lamadrid p 47

.COM With a passion for Cuba PAGE 3

HAVANA CULTURE THIS MONTH

Plastic arts p 12 Photography p 16 Dance p 19 / Ballet / Modern dance

Music p 23 / Classical music / Jazz / Trova & bolero / Salsa/timba / Heavy metal concerts / Contemporary fusion

Theatre p 39Other events in Havana p 43 For Kids p 44 Other events p 45

HAVANA GUIDE The best places to eat in Havana p 49

The best bars & clubs in Havana p 52

Havana’s best museums p 55


Drive down 5th Ave in Havana's Miramar neighborhood, and when you reach the road to Pabexpo on 146th Street, turn left and just ask the locals to guide you to Miguel Ginarte's Finca. Don't worry, you won't get lost; everybody knows where the finca is and how to get there.

Look for the dirt road that takes you to the entrance. On one side, you'll see a paddock; on the other, a long line of carriages like the ones used in colonial days. Park your car and walk up to the door of the modest wooden building. When we arrived, a sheep lying next to the entrance lifts his head and stares at us.

Ask any of the people who are coming and going for Miguel Ginarte. If it's morning, they'll probably tell you that he's having breakfast (the only meal of the day he doesn't skip). They'll take you to the living room where you will walk past a n a s s o r t m e n t o f p r i z e s , d i p l o m a s , a n d acknowledgements.

While you wait, take time out to observe the decor. The living room, like the rest of the house, looks more like a museum and warehouse than a dwelling. Family pictures vie for space with pictures of important Cuban political and entertainment figures. Antique clocks, sewing machines, a wide collection of ties, kerosene lamps, saddles, hats and even an antique washbowl with running water clutter the room. But let me give you some information on the man before you meet with him.

Miguel Ginarte was born in the eastern part of Cuba, the son of Dora Ginarte and Adriano Ricardo González. When

his mother was in labor, his dad took his mom on horseback to see the doctor and on horseback they brought him home after his birth. That's his explanation for his love of horses and why he is able to communicate with these animals so easily. So much so that he is dubbed “The Horse Whisperer.” As a kid, he would ride any horse that crossed his way, even the ones that would only allow their owners to come near them. In his teens, he would bet 100 pesos that he could break in even the wildest horses. And he always won. He is now 73 years old and continues to be an exceptional horseman. Every day, he rides his magnificent white Arabian horse around the ranch that fills his entire existence.

Speaking of the ranch, this is not your old every day, run-of-the-mill rancho. The branches of many trees hold old vehicle bodies, which Ginarte has placed there with the help of a crane. You'll also find safes, carriage wheels, typewriters, furniture, earthenware, and anything that you can name. Miguel and his people rescue these objects, restore them and keep them for use in a film or TV show. The ranch is attached to the Department of Scenography of Cuban Television and provides animals, plants, and vehicles for shows. I recall at least three “telenovelas” set in the countryside, which have been shot there.

But perhaps, the most outstanding part of the finca and Ginarte is that it has become a sort of “rehabilitation” center for teenagers with behavioral issues. Under Ginarte's guidance, these kids become hardworking men, who will take on any chore on the ranch and act as extras and even stuntmen for film and television. One story that

Miguel Ginarte – Havana's Horse Whisperer by Margaret Atkins

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has become a legend with the workers of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television is the time that Ginarte needed to bring some horses from the province of Camagüey: a couple of his kids brought them cross-country on a journey that lasted 18 days.

His work with these kids did not always have the blessing of the powers that be. In the beginning, they were nicknamed Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. However, hard work, discipline and bucketfuls of love proved that he was on the right track. Miguel Ginarte and his kids clean the beach and help firemen after hurricanes.

I bet you're thinking that you already know this person who you'll be meeting in a while. But you're still in for a few surprises. Listen to his anecdotes from his time in the Rebel Army, or when he fought in Ethiopia. But under his stern glance, there is a bottomless well of tenderness.

Go and join him and his kids one afternoon in cleaning the grounds. And after you have experienced the hospitality of these people; and you have talked with the neighbors of Las Canteras (who want to change the name of their neighborhood to Miguel Ginarte Community); and you have ridden a horse that Miguel himself has chosen for you, then spread the news:

There is a small ranch in Havana that is run by a man who was born in Dos Ríos, the place where Cuba's Apostle of Independence and National Hero, José Martí, died. And this man and this ranch have the ability to restore the faith in human betterment, even to diehard skeptics.

Miguel's doors are always open to friends.

Continue to read full article + slideshow


http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Life&Style/article_people.php?id=Miguel-Ginarte-Havana's-Horse-Whisperer

Just When you think you know Cubansby Conner Gorry

Loud, machista, brand-loco, bossy, gold medal (but loose and slippery) lovers: one – or several – of these stereotypes applies to most of the Cubans I know.

Its true Cubans tend to be noisy, romp with aplomb, and sow their oats with gusto and few regrets. They are also big talkers – 'waxing eloquent on topics about which theyre clueless or avoiding silence at all costs; I know a lot of women here, for instance, who never, and I mean ever, shut their mouths, talking about whatever minor thought skips across their brains (I always send a silent shot of strength to the spouse when I meet a woman like this). Then there's the Cuban classic, which I call 'blah, blah, blah': giving a long, considered response – to an entirely different question than the one asked. Actions belying words also falls into this “classic” category.

These are all generalizations of course – but that doesn't obviate their veracity. Indeed, stereotypes exist because they apply to huge swaths of a population. And if you know Cubans, you know that these generalizations are true for many or even most. Which is why I've become fascinated with stereotype-defying folks here. People who break the mold anywhere have always intrigued me, but Cuba has traditionally emphasized unity over individuality, is small and (relatively) isolated, meaning there are fewer mold-breakers.

These are what I call, for lack of a better term, 'not-very-Cuban' Cubans. Each one was born and raised here, lives on the island still, went to all the same schools, political rallies and lame concerts (Air Supply, ahem) as the rest, but exhibit few typically Cuban traits. Sure, they're missing teeth, can be unreliable, and are prone to slack; in the end, they're a product of their context and yet…not.

I've met a couple of their kind over the years, but recently I've come to know several fairly well – they intrigue and puzzle me in equal measure. For instance, not one of them

has been off-island and each works for the state (as well as 'por la izquierda' because that's how survival rolls here). Age might be a factor – the folks I write about are between 25 and 40 – but I'll have to think more on that since I don't have the analytical energy just now. By chance (or not), each person described below is also male, but again, my analytical reserves fail me.

What I'm coming to realize as I write this is that place – la siempre fidelíssima Isla de Cuba – has much to do with their character (each is proud to be Cuban), but little to do with their mold breaking: these people would be, and will be, who they are, no matter where they are.

The Musician: I'm not sure I've met a Cuban as callado as this guy in the nearly dozen years I've lived here. He's so quiet he makes me nervous. Have I insulted him? Is he bored? Does he simply have nothing to say? This last I discount not only because he has that 'still waters run deep' thing going on, but also because when he's on stage playing his cutting-edge compositions, he speaks volumes.

When I asked a mutual friend: 'what gives with Daniel? I've known my share of strong, silent types, but he kind of takes it to the extreme, doesn't he?' She laughed. 'Yeah, I've known him my whole life and I'd swear he was born in Europe instead of La Ceiba.' Quiet, measured, urbane, and bling-free: he actually reminds me of some New Yorkers I know, this 'not very Cuban' Cuban.

The Born Again: One of Cuba's new frontiers is being mapped out by pews and altars, chapels and collection plates (big, deep ones). As an agnostic skeptical of all organized religion and someone who has seen both the good and bad wrought by evangelical churches throughout Latin America, I have to say all the conversion going on around here has me concerned. The phenomenon is replicating itself from



Sandino to Baracoa, with record numbers of converts packing pews most nights and some days too, as they attend bible study, Sunday school and other church-y activities (see note 1). The people I know in Havana who have been sucked in belong to these churches are usually either not too bright or dealing with some social issue – alcoholism or delinquency, for instance.

But not my 'not very Cuban' Cuban friend, who breaks even this mold: he's smart, has a good job, a wife, his own transport, a nice place to live and two happy, well-adjusted children. Furthermore, he was always more of a rebel than a joiner, rejecting the mob mentality. Flash forward to any recent Sunday, however and he's wholly subsumed by one of these churches – to the tune of several times a week for 8 hours at a clip. And the proselytizing has begun, with non-responders feeling the freeze-out.

The Gamer: Hyper observant and curious, this 'not very Cuban' Cuban takes people to task for littering and 'envidia' (see note 2), has lovely manners, smells naturally great in the heart of summer (see note 3), and pardons himself when he (infrequently) interrupts. He's also vehemently anti-gossip and comfortable being alone – criteria enough to make him a peculiar Cuban. Surely this aversion to the

maddening crowd is the gamer in him – he admits to shutting himself in for 8 hours or more when he's mastering a new game – but I thought everyone here was hard-wired for social gad flying. To an extent, anyway. This guy, however, would hole up on a mountaintop with just the bare necessities given the chance, which sounds extreme even to me, a solitary mountain girl at heart.

In another inversion of a Cuban stereotype, he's not afraid to ask questions, learn about what he doesn't know, and pursue new experiences – including hard work. He's got a hunger for knowledge and the confidence to seek it out I don't see that often in Cuba's 20-somethings. It's refreshing and hopeful, especially because it comes from the next generation, too much of which has lost hope here.

Notes1. Let me emphasize that I'm referring to anti-scientific, charismatic churches (what's sometimes referred to as neo-charismatic or neo-Pentecostal), not the traditional kind where you go on Sunday to pray and catch up with the congregation. The kind that freak me out are the ones where the pastor fairly preys on his flock, encouraging adoration of him and distance from non-believing friends and family.

2. This is a very negative, very Cuban concept which literally translates as 'envy' but runs much deeper, to the roots of want, need, greed, and paranoia.

PAGE 9cubaABSOLUTELY.COM

Conner Gorry is one of the most insightful writers about Cuba. Author of Here is Havana blog ( ), she also puts together the Havana Good Time iPad/Phone/Touch http://hereishavana.wordpress.com/application (Android version) http://itunes.apple.com/app/havana-good-time/id385663683?mt=8http://sutromedia.com/android/Havana_Good_Time - essential guide to What's On in Havana.

With a Passion for Cuba



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Praise be to Our Lady of Charity! by Lucia Lamadrid


While many Cubans are by nature somewhat skeptical when it comes to religion, it doesn't take much of a mishap before “Our Lady of Charity” (often known by the more intimate “Cachita”) is invoked for believers and non-believers alike. The church is well aware that while some people venerate the Marian image of Our Lady of Charity, while others worship Ochun, the Orisha of love and money, the river Goddess, who always wears yellow and others manage to worship both the Christian virgin and the goddess of the Yoruba religion syncretized in one.

The image itself is syncretic – part of a process that has occurred through the centuries. The white man, the black man and the mulatto that lie at her feet in a small boat is a reminder of the three men– one black and two Indians– who found a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus in her arms while sailing around the Bay of Nipe in the early 17th century. The statue was fastened to a board with an inscription saying “I am the Virgin of Charity.” This is the same diverse, multiracial and devout Cuban people that now make the pilgrimage, rain or shine, and adorn the road with yellow sunflowers, calling out to her over and over: “Praise be to Our Lady of Charity!”

For the Catholic world as a whole, September 8th marks the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is venerated in many countries, cities and regions as their patroness, usually under a specific title or apparition. This is the case of Cuba, which celebrates that day as the feast day of Our Lady of Charity.

Every year, several thousands of Cubans of all ages, races and social position accompany the statue in the traditional procession that takes place in the working-class neighborhood of Centro Habana. This tradition was taken up again after the historic visit of Pope John Paul to Cuba in 1998. The statue of the Virgin is carried on a platform followed by a throng people that carry candles or flowers – sunflowers mostly. Many wear yellow, which is the color that identifies Our Lady of Charity. The people walk solemnly for several blocks around Nuestra Señora de la Caridad Parrish in Centro Habana. The procession is headed by Jaime Ortega, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Havana.

This past September 8th 2013, was no different in Havana. During the procession, the people sang hymns, prayed and shouted Viva! to Cuba's Patroness and the Church. Other people followed the procession from the rooftops and porches of their homes. The procession ended at the Parrish of Our Lady of Charity where the Archbishop said Mass and made an appeal for peace around the world, in particular Syria.

Although the principal celebration on this day takes place in Santiago de Cuba at the Virgin's National Sanctuary, this beautiful and moving demonstration of faith takes place all over Cuba. Our Lady of Charity is a symbol of identity for Cubans wherever they may be, and her significance transcends the Catholic faith to the culture and history of Cuba.



http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/AboutCuba/article_religion.php?id=Praise-be-to-Our-Lady-of-Charity

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Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo LamTHROUGH DECEMBER 1

Memorias de la obsolescencia is a selection of videos from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection with works by artists of different nationalities and styles dating from the beginnings of this manifestation to the present day, including Mariana Abramovic, Francys Alÿs, Magdalena Fernández, Ana Mendieta, Song Dong, Cao Fei, Jimmie Durham, Miguel Ángel Ríos and Francesca Woodman. Special emphasis is made on Latin American contemporary art.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edifico de Arte CubanoTHROUGH NOVEMBER

Mario Carreño: donde empieza la luz, dedicated to Cuban painter Mario Carreño, one of the principal figures of Cuban and Latin American avant-garde, exhibits 30 oil paintings and drawings made by the artist between 1937 and 1957, considered his most productive period.

MARIANO EN CONTEMPORÁNEO GALERÍA LA ACACIA

THROUGH NOVEMBER 25

Mariano en contemporáneo is an exhibition of 41 drawings by the Cuban painter Mariano Rodríguez (1912-1990), one of the most important artists of the so-called Havana School.

!ART

LOS COLORES DEL SONIDOGALERÍA SERVANDO

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER

Artists Eduardo Roca (Choco), Nelson Domínguez, Liang Domínguez, Alberto Lescay, José Luis Fariñas, Roberto Fabelo and Roberto Camilo Fabelo joined forces in Colores del sonido (Colors of Sound) on occasion of the Leo Brouwer Music Festival.



.COM With a passion for Cuba PAGE 13

Exhibition D’DISEGNO Respuesta cubana!

Gracias cerebro por dejarme en paz. Remedies for imsomniaIdania del Rio

Exhibition D’DISEGNO. Respuesta cubana!, curated by Concha Fontenla, includes artworks created by over twenty artists rela-ted to artistic design –epistemological field that merges the frontiers between design as production mean and knowledge, and art as a way to give expression to aesthetic and conceptual experiences–, and is set to be open on September 20, 8:00 pm in Factoría Habana.

The display’s title refers to the DISEGNO etymology, defined in the 15th century by Alberti as a “plane that was born out of the spirit, and implemented in lines and angles”, drawing, project, prefiguration of “what it will be”, idea and form, a process that supports creation, from its intellectual conception of material concretion. Respuesta cubana is a contribution by Jorge Rodri-guez (R10), who, through the poster created for this event, proc-laims a “call for creative production”. In order to contextualize this topic, it would be necessary to tackle the present and fertile relation between design as technology and art as practice, as knowledge.

The chosen artists are: Adriana Arronte, Marlén Castellanos, DeKuba, Idania del Río, Daniel DeMilán, Liliam Dooley, Mayelín Guevara, Osvaldo González, Gabriel Lara (Gabo), Celia Ledón, Octavio César Marín, Fabián Muñoz, Gean Moreno, Ernesto Oroza, Nelson Ponce, Eduardo Ponjuán, Roberto Ramos, Luis Ramírez, Yimit Ramírez, Jorge Rodríguez (R10), Edel Rodríguez (Mola), Alejandro Rosales, Eduardo Sarmiento, Eric Silva, José Ángel Toirac, Raúl Valdés (Raupa) and Arantza Vilas.

Nelson PonceEduardo Sarmiento

Jorge Rodriguez (R10)

Mayelín Guevara & Eric Silva Roberto Ramos

Factoría Habana Experimental center for present-day artistic creationO´Reilly 308 entre entre Habana y Aguiar, Habana Vieja


ARTMUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES.

VITRINA DE VALONIA

CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA

Throughout

October

Edificio de Arte Cubano

Throughout

October

Throughout

October

Evocación lírica exhibits, for the first time ever, 18 paintings by National Visual Arts Prizewinner 2012, Ever Fonseca, an indefatigable maker of fables and recreator of legends from the Cuban countryside.

Selección natural, by Ana Iris Texidor, who based on the style of Japanese manga, depicts peculiarities of urban tribes which may nullify individualities.

This year's Ceramics Biennial competition included over 150 pieces (sets and installations with vessels, panels and tiles. Prizewinners were Javier Martínez (Margen), Alejandro Cordovés (Los colores de la vida), Guillermo R. Malberti, (Tras las huellas, pequeña historia de amor y desamor), Glaucia Basulto, Alder Calzadilla and Jorge Jacas, while Ramiro Díaz (Cartuchos) was given a Special Mention. Also on exhibition are pieces by ceramist Fernando Velázquez Torres, prizewinner at previous Ceramic Biennials.

GALERÍA COLLAGE HABANA

Throughout

October

This gallery recently reopened with an exhibition of works by over 30 outstanding Cuban artists, such as Nelson Domínguez, Manuel Mendive, Ernesto García Peña, Mabel Poblet, Sandra Ceballos, Cirenaica Moreira, Ernesto Rancaño, Angel Ramírez and Lázaro Saavedra. Collage Habana will sell originals, reproductions and silk screen prints.


CENTRO DE DESARROLLO DE LAS ARRES VISUALES

Through

October 14

Through an interactive installation, Night Scene Illusion, the young artist Yusnier Mentado refers ti childhood memories and frustrations of the generation born in the 1980s, a reflection of social disenchantment.

In Huellas, a project that includes installations, video as well as interaction and intervention in public spaces, artist Vladimir González Portales revisits what seems to be an obsessive theme in Cuban contemporary art--migration.

GALERÍA -BIBLIOTECA RUBÉN MARTÍNEZ VILLENA

Through

October 14

Dibujos tontos, group show by Yornel Martínez, Adriana Arronte, Irvin Vera, José Eduardo Yaque and Orestes Hernández, combines free and easy strokes with the sensitivity of the so-called “ordinary man.”

GALERÍA HABANA

Through

October 11

Expo sin concepto is the latest exhibition by Lázaro Saavedra, prominent figure of the Cuban art boom of the 1980s, who assimilates the vernacular and an incisive and mordant humor into his conceptual production.

HOTEL HABANA LIBRE

Throughout

October

Jesús Lara Sotelo pays tribute to music, in particular to Nueva Trova and guitar, in the exhibition Yo también sueño con serpientes with 15 large paintings that are accompanied by music scores that have been intervened by the artist.



.COM With a passion for Cuba

Galleries & Studios in Havana 7th and 60th Studio Unique studio-gallery started showing the work of four young artistswww.cu-bartspace7y60.com

Casa de los Artistas Works by Zaida del Río, Fabelo, Rancaño, Pedro Pablo Oliva Calle Oficios #6 (second floor), entre Obispo y Obrapía, Old Havana(07) 862-8986

Casa-Estudio de José FusterFascinating excursion to see Cuba’s Gaud-iesque Calle 226, esquina 3A, Jaimanitas (07) 271-3048

Centro de Arte La CasonaOne of Havana’s lead-ing exhibition spaces Calle Muralla #107, esquina San Ignacio, Old Havana(07) 861-8544

Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam Showcases visual arts in developing countries San Ignacio #22, esq. Empedrado, Old Havana

Centro HispanoAmericano de CulturaCultural center Malecón No 17 e/ Paseo de Martí & Capdevila, Centro Habana(07) 860-6282

Cristo SalvadorGallerySomething completely different in Cuba’s burgeoning art world Calle 11 No 1104 entre 14 y 16, Vedado

Centro de Desarrollo de las Arres VisualesContemporary art center on Plaza Vieja San Ignacio 352, esq. a Brasil (Teniente Rey), Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja(07) 862 3533

Espacio Aglutinador Run by Sandra Cebal-los, who also lives in the space Calle 25 #602, entre 6 y 8, Vedado(07) 830-2147

Factoría Habana Experimental center for present-day artistic creationO´Reilly 308 entre entre Habana y Aguiar, Habana Vieja

Fototeca de Cuba The largest, most valuable collection of Cuban photographs Mercaderes 307 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja(07) 862-2530

Fundación Ludwigde CubaPenthouse of a five-storey building, with breathtaking viewCalle 13 #509, 5to piso, entre D y E, Vedado (07) 832-4270

Galería La AcaciaHigh-end and well-stocked commer-cial gallery Calle San José #114, e/ Industria y Consulado, Old Havana

(07) 861-3533

Galería Habana One of Havana’s most established galleriesLínea #460, entre E y F, Vedado (07) 832-7101

Galería VictorManuelMainstream decorative modern paintings San Ignacio 56, esq. a Callejón del Chorro, Habana Vieja(07) 861-2955/866-9268

Galería Servando Small gallery next door to Cine Chaplin Calle 23 y 10, Vedado (07) 831-1101

Galería Villa ManuelaExhibiting some of the best contemporary Cuban artistsCalle H, e/ 17 y 19, Vedado

(07) 832 2391

Museo Nacional deBellas Artes Cuba´s largest and most impressive per-manent art collection.Trocadero entre Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja

Pabellon Cuba Modern architectural building, HQ to Associ-ation Hermanos Saiz Calle 23 y Calle N, Vedado (07) 835-0822

Taller Experimentalde Gráfica de La HabanaCuba’s only engraving workshopCallejón del Chorro #62, Old Havana(07) 862-0979

Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas


PHOTOGRAPHY


Pedro Abascal “I consider myself as a very curious person with a great capacity to be surprised; that's perhaps what makes me see the world through the viewfinder of my camera and allows me to explore everything that attracts my attention, and to a certain extent enter that which remains hidden, awaiting to be discovered.

Throughout my career as a photographer, I have developed a number of series that embody my overall interest in the human condition, the pictures place man in his own environment as he goes about his daily business. It could be considered as a photo-documentary, although it is not my aim to document anything but a self-portrait. The images form a poetics of the mundane as it is precisely in the commonplace of the day-to-day where man leaves a deep and enormous trace of his existence, seeking to achieve the right balance between reality and mystery.

In my concern, photography is that commonplace where a simple gesture becomes poetry.”

http://pedroabascal.com

DIÁLOGOS URBANOSFOTOTECA DE CUBA

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER

This exhibition by photographers Pedro Abascal from

Cuba and Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo from Colombia

takes a look at different urban realities, although with a

certain conceptual and formal closeness.

LOS PRIMEROS PADRESGALERÍA LATINOAMERICANA, CASA DE LAS AMÉRICAS

OPENS OCTOBER 4

This is an exhibition of photographs of 20th-century natives of Central and South America taken by renowned photographers Chambi, Graciela Iturbide, Paolo Gasparini, Nereo López, Nair Benedicto, Lucía Chiriboga and Juan Manuel Díaz Burgos, among others. The pictures are from the Haydee Santamaría Art of Our America collection of Casa de las Americas.



PHOTOGRAPHY


CASA OSWALDO GUAYASAMÍN

THROUGH OCTOBER 17

Thirty black and white photographs by Chilean Fernando Morandé give a poetic view of different cities from the eastern part of Cuba.

PHOTOGRAPHY

INVENTARIO ÍNTIMOPALACIO DE LOMBILLO

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER

Inventario íntimoArchitect and photographer María Eugenia López exhibits 18 small and medium-sized pictures created through digital printing.



María Cienfuegos: using photography to overthrow the tediumby Ricardo Alberto Perez

For María Cienfuegos, photography is revelation. In her work, she explores small detained universes, microcosms frozen by the will of man, details that betray a new future for elements that used to depend on a natural cycle. For instance, in her Naturaleza Muerta [Still Life] (2012), she explores the artificial eyes of the birds transferred to an absurd hyper-realism.

But María Cienfuegos also calls on family to have their portraits taken. Families are situated in different scenes, in different attitudes and at different kinds of events. These families are sometimes photographed in public places and at other times in their homes. This is a series she has been working on since 2008 and she seems to have found a vast array of expressions.

Maria believes that photography should be used to impose a new order on things that have been tediously organized. Photographs should not obey; they should overthrow the tedium and enter into the frank territory of art. She cannot renounce any special concept of beauty; she knows there are less visible fragments of memory.

María Cienfuegos' work has no pretentious overtones. She seems to have cultivated patience in which she trusts and which helps her to achieve her images. Living and dead organisms are placed side by side whether it is a dog show (Best in show -2008/ 2010) or a herbal record (naturaleza muerta II- [Still Life II] 2011). No matter what the image, each photo tells a story that can be interpreted with the utmost freedom and provoke multiple ideas.




http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/articles_photography.php?id=Maria-Cienfuegos-using-photography-to-overthrow-the-tedium

DANCE


SPANISH DANCE

Born in Havana, she began studying Spanish Dance in the Spanish Cultural Society “Centro Andaluz” (Andalusian Centre) of Havana. Within months, she began off the record, and as “an exceptional case” to take classes with the professional company Ballet Español de Cuba, since her talent was remarkable in spite of being a young girl. In 1993, she was admitted at the National Academy of Spanish Dances sponsored by this company. She graduated in 1999, after 5 years of study.

She played her first leading roles as a student in the formerly mentioned academy. In addition, she was part of the corps de ballet of the Ballet Español de Cuba in the main pieces presented by this company.

In July 1999, after graduating as a dancer, she immediately became a regular member in the very same Ballet Español de Cuba, where, after being evaluated several times, she became Prima ballerina in 2007, as well as Specialized Professor and Reggiseur of First Level and Choreographer.

As part of her professional education she has taken part in workshops, courses and master classes by the most relevant Spanish dancers and choreographers in Cuba, Spain, and Mexico.As prima ballerina, professor, reggiseur, and choreographer of the Ballet Español de Cuba, she successfully danced several times all the leading roles of the ballets performed by the company, as well as solo roles in all the company's performances.

In September 2001, she detached herself from the Ballet Español de Cuba, creating her own company of Spanish dance.

In Cuba, she has performed in the main theatres througouth the island, and she has been interviewed for many radio and TV shows, as well as for the written and digital press, both in Cuba and abroad.

In January 2012, she founded her own company: Compañía Irene Rodríguez

COINCIDENCIASSALA AVELLANEDA. TEATRO NACIONAL OCTOBER 18-19, 8:30PM; OCT 20, 5PM

World premiere of Coincidencias produced by the Irene

Rodríguez Spanish dance company.



BALLET NACIONAL DE CUBA TEATRO MELLA OCTOBER 9, 8:30PM Concert program: En las sombras de un vals (choreography by Alicia Alonso, music by Josef Strauss), Preciosa y el aire (choreography by Alicia Alonso, based on the poem of the same name by Federico García Lorca, music by Ángel Barrios Fernández), Diálogo a 4 (choreography by Alicia Alonso, music by Ignacio Cervantes), Umbral (choreography by Alicia Alonso, music by Johann Christian Bach), scenes from Act Two of Giselle (choreography by Alicia Alonso based on the original by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, music by Adolphe Adam), Pretextos (choreography by Alicia Alonso, music by Claude Marbehant), Desnuda luz del amor (choreography by Alicia Alonso, music by Ernest Chausson), Impromptu Lecuona (choreography by Alicia Alonso, music by Ernesto Lecuona).

DANCEBALLET

MOMENTOSSALA LAS CAROLINAS OCTOBER 16, 7PM

Danza Teatro Retazos presents Momentos , choreographed by the company's director, Isabel Bustos.

Retazos (literally Bits & Pieces) In 1987, dancer and choreographer Isabel Bustos, who at first gave performances in the living room of her home, founded a company through which she could express her interests: the sublimation of emotions, through an avant-garde technique that would serve the purpose of expressing and integrating dance with other arts--visual arts, music, cinema and literature. Since 1996, the company holds the International Dance Festival in Urban Landscapes: Old Havana, City in Motion, taking advantage of suggestive old streets, plazas and buildings of Havana's Historical Centre to display the communicative and improvisational potentials of dancers and choreographers. Important works include Mujeres, Carmina Burana, Las lunas de Lorca and Peces en las manos. This really is a personal favorite and should form part of the itinerary of anyone who has an interest in modern dance.

www.danzateatroretazos.cu


DANCE THEATER



Rosario Cárdenas & Danza Combinatoria's Tributo a El monte by Victoria Alcala

It is a commonplace to say that El monte, by the Cuban anthropologist Lydia Cabrera, is the Bible of Afro-Cuban religions. This is why some people were surprised when Rosario Cárdenas—National Dance Prizewinner 2013—announced that she and her company Danza Combinatoria were working on Tributo a El monte [Tribute to El Monte]. Having said this, however, I dare say no one questioned Cárdenas's capability to delve into the dense plot of this iconic book of Cuban culture.

Although the choreographer had forewarned that she did not aim to make a version of Cabrera's monumental book and that her piece was simply based on it, I nevertheless kept asking myself how Cárdenas would manage to stage the key elements of a text that has baffled many readers who believed they would find a sort of “Santeria manual” and discovered that the book is of a disconcerting conceptual and poetic denseness.

The key to the piece was poetry. While Cabrera used this to explore the view of the Africans who had been brought to Cuba and their descendants—a topic that had rarely been studied in her time—to reveal their voices, myths, practices and experiences, Cárdenas grasped the spirit of this “book of books” through her unique method of creation, in which she applies combinatorial analysis and José Lezama Lima's poetics. And following in the steps of the great poet, narrator and essayist, who said that only that which is difficult can be stimulating, Rosario Cárdenas presented her many followers a difficult, yet extraordinarily attractive piece.

With an atmosphere that took the audience by surprise from the very moment they set foot in the house thanks to its plant motifs, the choreography demanded of the dancers an almost visceral adoption of its many incarnations, beyond a technique that was of course a

given. The lights, the plain set design, the showing of audiovisuals and the wardrobe—although at times impractical—all contributed to the dancers' performance. This was especially enhanced by the music entrusted to one of the most daring and intelligent contemporary Cuban composers, Juan Piñera; to DJ Iván Lejardi, whose work has matured by leaps and bounds; and to the rap group Fuera de Norma, who performed on stage.

A piece of non-linear structure, complex symbolism and figurative denseness, sometimes reiterative and sometimes disconcerting (like the book that inspired it), Tributo a El monte needs to go on stage again, because, like Lydia Cabrera's work and the Bible itself, it demands more than one reading.

This show was performed at the Teatro Mella on September 6th & 7th,

2013.

DANCE




http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/article_dance_Modern.php?id=Rosario-Cardenas-and-Danza-Combinatorias-Tributo-a-El%20monte


Dance & concert venues Gran Teatro de La Habana Stages ballet opera, zarzuela and Spanish danceCalle Prado entre San Rafael y San José, Old Havana (07) 861 3077 / 5873

Teatro Nacional de Cuba Recently renovated, where the best perfor-mances are Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución, Vedado

Teatro Mella 1,500-seat theatre used for dance, folk-lore, circus and variety show Línea No. 657, entre A y B, Vedado (07) 833-8696

Teatro Karl Marx The best-equipped and largest venue in town Calle 1ra, esquina 10, Miramar (07) 203-0801

Centro Cultural El Gran Palenque

Major venues for all forms of dance & concerts

Compañía de laDanza NarcisoMedina Oriental and martial dance arts dance and movement in perfor-mance styleCine Teatro Favorito. Belascoaín, esq. Peñalver, (07) 878-2650

Compañía RosarioCárdenas de Danza CombinatoriaInnovative and creative group gaining fabulous reviewsCentro de Danza de la Habana. Prado No. 111, e/ Genios y Refugio (07) 878-6765

Danza Contemporánea de Cuba Cuba’s legendary and most celebrated modern dance groupTeatro Nacional de Cuba. Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución(07) 879-6410

Retazos Led by the inspiration-al Ecuadorian spitfire Isabel Bustos Teatro Las Carolinas. Calle Amargura No. 61, entre Mercaderes y San Ignacio (07) 866-0512

Modern Dance groups in Havana

Callejón de HammelSalvador González Escalona is proud to have Cuba’s most popular open-air art gallery, which has become a shrine to Afro-Cuban religions through the artist’s stunning pictorial fan-tasies. At the weekend this small space comes alive with the beating of drums as one of the best places to experi-ence Cuban rumba. Callejón de Hammel, e/ Hospital y Aramburu, Centro Havana (07) 878 1661

Centro Cultural El Gran Palenque Every Saturday after-noon the troupe hosts the Sábado de la Rumba, a mesmerizing show of Afro-Cuban religious and secular dance and drumming at El Gran Palenque in Vedado. Unless you are 100% “patón”, you can expect the three hours of rumba, guaguancó and yambú to get you moving.Calle 4, entre 5ta y Calza-da (7ma). Vedado Tel. (07) 833-9075

Cabaret Tropicana Legendary Vegas-style extravaganza under the starsCalle 72 No. 4504, entre 41 y 43, Marianao (07) 267 0110 / 1717-8

Cabaret Parisién Beautiful dancers, intimate locale, at Cuba’s most historic hotel Hotel Nacional, Calle O, esquina 21, Vedado (07) 873 4701 ext. 129

Habana Café Where Vincent Vega would get his ten-dol-lar shake in HavanaHotel Meliá Cohíba, Avenida Paseo, esquina 3ra, Vedado (07) 833-3636

Cabaret Turquino Stunning view from 26th floor. Retractable roof, up market perfor-mancesHabana Libre Hotel. Calle L, e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (07) 838-4011

Rumba & folkloric venues Cabaret


MUSIC

The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has fragmented somewhat over recent months as new bars and clubs have opened and a number of promoters of one off parties have established themselves. While we have made a few suggestions and reviewed some of last month's best parties really you will simply have to keep your ear to the ground and try and get and get on the text list. We will post on the facebook page Cuba Absolutely Facebook page details when we have them.

For lovers of Yonki (really more reggaeton) you should check out the Sunday matinee at the Neptuno-Triton hotel starting at 2pm recently. It is also worth bearing in mind that sometimes the best party is simply in the street, at least when street is G street (see photo above from a recent party there on the Avenue of Presidents where some of the cool kids still hand out).

CONTEMPORARY FUSION& ELECTRONIC

CAFÉ CANTANTE MI HABANA. TEATRO NACIONAL

Tuesdays, 5pm

Oct 7, 11pm

Performances by To Mezclao

Performances by Manana Club

CENTRO VASCO

Fridays,

midnight

Performances by Karamba.

CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT

Oct 2 & 9, 10pm Performances by Roberto Carcassés e Interactivo.

CASA DE LA MÚSICA DE MIRAMAR

Sundays, 11pm With Son as the foundation of their music, the band Klimax, directed by Giraldo Piloto, incorporates elements from jazz, pop, rap, punk, and Caribbean rhythms.

CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE

Mon, 10:30pm Dj Wichy del Vedado, uno de los más famosos Djs de La Habana, con lo mejor de música World.


Mondays, 5pm Performances by El Micha

Oct 6 & 13, 10pm Performances by Déja-vu.

DIABLO TUN TUN

Saturdays, 11pm Performances by Aceituna sin Hueso.


Electronic dance party on Calle G – September 2013(Casa las Americas in background)



Emmy Alfonso's 'Para Mestizar' ; cultural d ivers i ty through musicby Lucia Lamadrid

A year and a half after the project known as “Para Mestizar” began, it has finally completed the video. Young Cuban composer and singer Eme Alfonso and filmmaker Joseph Ros aim to show Cuba's cultural diversity through this music video that promotes equality, diversity, intercultural dialogue and social cohesion against discrimination and exclusion.

Eme Alfonso, winner of the Cubadisco 2009 Best Fusion Album Award, lends her voice and music to the project, while Joseph Ros, winner of the Lucas 2011 Awards for Best New Artist, Best Video of the Year, Best Fusion Video, and Best Artistic Direction with Eme Alfonso's song “Buscando la inspiración,” is the director of the video. Pedro Luis Ferrer, one of the leading members of La Nueva Trova, wrote the lyrics.

The music video, which mixes Cuban and Latin music with soul and jazz, will be presented to the national and international press on October 14, prior to the celebration of Cuban Culture Day on October 20. The four-minute video is the result of the magical experience of traveling throughout Cuba in search for answers regarding the mixture of races in Cuba. It will be aired on Cuban Television in January 2014.

Para Mestizar has received the support of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Ministry of Culture of Cuba, the Cuban Institute of Music, and the Spanish, Norwegian, British and French embassies in Cuba.

Director: Joseph RosVoice and music: Eme AlfonsoLyrics: Pedro Luis FerrerProducers: Eme Alfonso and Ismael Sayyad


MUSICMUSIC

MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES

Oct 3, 7pm

Edificio de Arte Cubano

Eduardo Barroetabeña (percussionist) and the band Oddara in concert.

LA ZORRA Y EL CUERVO

Oct 4, 10pm Michel Herrera (sax and composer)

CAFÉ MIRAMAR

Oct 2, 11pm Yadasny Portillo (pianist and composer) and the band Cauce.

Café Jazz Miramar(cine Miramar ), Calle 5ta Esquina A 94, Miramar Playa.Opens 2pm - Shows: 10:30pm - 2 Am - Cover: 50.00 Mn Or Cuc 2.00

This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba's best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright – take the fags outside. While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisiation when it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.


Alexis Bosch (pianist)

Oct 4, 11pm Launching of the CD Colectivo, by percussionist Lukmil Pérez, accompanied by the group Santa Amalia's Friends.

Oct 5 & 12, 11pm Roberto Carcassés (pianist), his trio and guests

HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC

Oct 10, 2pm Peña La Esquina del Jazz, hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés.

CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL

Oct 13, 8pm Performance by Ruy López-Nussa (percussionist) and La Academia

JAZZ

Oct 3, 11pm

Oct 1, 11pm Jesús Fuentes (sax and composer) and Santo Tomás Connection.



GERARDO ALFONSO

MUSEO NACIONAL DE LA MÚSICA

OCTOBER 23, 5PM

Singer-songwriter Gerardo Alfonso, whose songs range from social comment to ballads and songs in praise of national heroes, combines traditional Cuban genres such as trova and son with rock, pop, and Brazilian and Caribbean rhythms.

MUSIC

CASA DEL ALBA

CENTRO IBEROAMERICANO DE LA DÉCIMA

Oct 4, 8pm

Oct 5 , 3pm

With his beautiful and powerful voice, Eduardo Sosa and guests perform highlights of the best Cuban trova of all time.

Performance by the duet Ad Libitum.

Oct 27, 4pm El Jardín de la Gorda with the performances of trovadores from every generation.

CASA DE LA CULTURA DE PLAZA

Oct 12, 7 pm Peña with Marta Campos, renowned singer of contemporary songs with a trova feel to them

BOLERO, FOLKLORIC, SON & TROVA


Oct 31, 6pm Performance by Vicente Feliú, one of the founders of the Cuban Nueva Trova movement, and guests.

CASA DE ÁFRICA

Oct 5, 4pm Performance by the rock/folkloric rock band Síntesis

Oct 12, 4pm Performance by the folkloric group Obiní Batá

CAFÉ TEATRO BERTOLT BRECHT

Tony Ávila, a favorite of the young generation thanks to his lyrics and sense of humor.Fridays, 10pm

An informal get-together with singer Omar Amehd.October 5, 4pm

Un Bolero para Ti, with Rafael Espín and guests.October 26, 4pm



MUSIC

CASA BALEAR

CASA MEMORIAL SALVADOR ALLENDE

CAFÉ CONCERT ADAGIO

CENTRO CULTURAL PABLO DE LA TORRIENTEBRAU

Oct 18, 5 pm

Oct 25, 6 pm

Thursdays,

10 pm

Oct 26 , 5 pm

Tardes de Boleros, hosted by singer Maureen García.

Peña La Juntamenta, with trovador Ángel Quintero and guests

Performances by Maylú, the all-round singer of the moment, whose repertoire goes from arias of famous operas to Cuban, Latin American and international pop hits.

A Guitarra Limpia is a meeting with trovadors accompanied only by their guitars.

BOLERO, FOLKLORIC, SON & TROVA

JARDINES DEL 1830

PIANO BAR TUN TUN

Tue & Thu,

8:30pm;

Tue & Thu,

8:30pm

Thursdays,

5pm

Performance by one of the most popular bands in Cuba, Moncada will play an extensive repertoire of Cuban and Latin American music.

Peña with trovador Ray Fernández.


Saturdays,

5 pm

La Utopía combines live performances by troubadours, impromptu performances by the audience, and videos of important domestic and international musicians of the past 50 years.


CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE

Tuesdays, 7pm

Wednesdays,

9pm

Saturdays,

10:30pm

Performances by Fernando Bécquer, singer-songwriter of piquant humor and contagious rhythm.

Performances by the young singer Milada Milhet.

Performance by Yeni Sotolongo, a young singer who boasts an exceptional voice and varied repertoire.

Sundays, 6pm Performances by pop idol Adrián Berazaín, who combines pop and rock with Cuban song.

ASOCIACIÓN YORUBA DE CUBA

Fridays,

8:30pm

Performance by the folkloric group Obiní Batá.

Sundays,

4 pm

Performance by the folkloric group Los Ibellis.

CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL

Fridays,

5 pm

Performance by popular David Álvarez and his band Juego de Manos.

Saturdays,

5 pm

Performance by Waldo Mendoza, one of Cuba's most popular singers today.

CASA DE LA AMITAD

Oct 13, 3pm Get-together with the vocal quartet Génesis

Oct 20, 3pm Get-together with Maureen Iznaga, whose select repertoire includes favorite Cuban and international love songs.

HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC

Oct 12, 10pm Mundito González is one of the most popular Cuban bolero singers.



LA SESIÓN AT DELIRIO HABANERO

TEATRO NACIONAL

FRIDAYS, 4PM

Cuba's newest spot for rap lovers, La Sesión includes rap as well as the best DJs in Havana, singers and musicians from other genres as well as visual artists and actors from the stage. Shows are hosted by the Cuban actress Edenis Sanchez and rapper Bárbaro “El urbano” Vargas. La Sesión is sure to become the rap/hip-hop's spot in the Cuban capital.

CANCHA DE COJÍMAR

Oct 12 2:00pm Anónimo Consejo and Brebaje Man.

RAP, HIP-HOP

MAQUETA DE LA HABANA

Oct 26 5:00pm Hermanazos.

MUSIC

CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL

Sundays

4:00pm

Los Kents, a “dinosaur” of Cuban rock, play their hits from the 60s and 70s.

DIABLO TUN TUN

Fridays 5:00pm

(Casa de la Música de Miramar)

Performance by the rock band Gens.

ROCK



Oct 1, 8, 15, 22 &

29, 11:00pm

Pedrito Calvo y La Justicia

DIABLO TUN TUN

Oct 3 11:00pm José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda

SALSA / TIMBA

Oct 2, 9, 16, 23 &

30, 5:00pm

Juan Guillermo

Oct 2, 9, 16, 23 y

30, 5:00pm

Adalberto Álvarez y su Son

Oct 7, 21, 28,

11:00pm

Sur Caribe

CASA DE LA MÚSICA HABANA

Oct 2 5:00pm Combinación de La Habana

Oct 2 & 9

11:00pm

José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda

Oct 3, 10, 17, 24

& 31, 5:00pm

Pupy y los que Son Son



MUSICCLASSICAL

ORATORIO SAN FELIPE NERI

Oct 1

Oct 5

Cuban and Latin American compositions played on the piano by Nelson Camacho.

Pianists Marita Rodríguez and Ulises Hernández, and violist Anolan González will pay tribute to Cuban composers Harold Gramatges and Alfredo Diez-Nieto.

4:00pm Oct 19

Sep 28

Recital by pianist Ulises Hernández.

Pianist Vilma Garriga, soprano Ivette Betancourt and cellist Amparo del Riego will offer a program based on preludes and ballads by Russian composers Mikhail Glinka, Pyotr I. Tchaikovski, Reinhold Gliere, Sergei Rachmaminoff and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

BASÍLICA MENOR DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS

Oct 5 Concert by the chamber orchestra Música Eterna, conducted by Guido López-Gavilán, with guest pianist Aldo López-Gavilán.

6:00pm Oct 19 Pianist Cecilio Tieles and violinist Evelio Tieles will play pieces from the classic Cuban 19th century composer Nicolás Ruiz Espadero.

Oct 12 Camerata Romeu, conducted by its director Zenaida Romeu, will play a selection from the opera ópera Carmen, by Bizet.

Oct 26 A group of young musicians will play works by composers from the nations that make up the Visegrád Group: Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.



MUSICCLASSICAL

IGLESIA DE PAULA

SALA IGNACIO CERVANTES

Oct 4

Oct 13

Organist Moisés Santiesteban has announced a program of 19th-century pieces for organ.

Concierto poético en La Habana: orilla de las mujeres fértiles is a meeting with authors Nancy Morejón y Marifé Santiago, who will read their poems accompanied on the piano by Pura Ortiz.

5:00pm

5:00pm Oct 20

Oct 27

Oct 18 Performance by the quintet Ventus Habana, conducted by Alina Blanco, and guests

Recital by soprano Ivette Betancourt and pianist Maite Aboy.

The duo Promúsica, with Alfredo Muñoz (violin) and María Victoria del Collado (piano), has announced a recital with compositions by Beethoven.

Oct 25 The Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble, conducted by Teresa Paz, will play worls by Austrian composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Heinrich Biber.

CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL

BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL JOSÉ MARTÍ

Oct 6

Oct 5

Performance by Haskell Armenteros and his Ensemble Nueva Camerata

Recital by pianist Huberal Herrera, who specializes in the work of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona.

5:00pm

5:00pm

Oct 20

Oct 19

Tarde de Concierto, conducted by the soprano Lucy Provedo.

Concert by the Nueva Camerata quintet.

Oct 12 En Confluencia, conducted by guitarists Eduardo and Galy Martín.

Oct 15 Soprano Johana Simón, accompanied on the piano Beatriz Batista, will sing works by Cuban women operatic composers.


Oct 27 De Nuestra América, conducted by pianist Alicia Perea.

Oct 12 Performance by the Entrevoces chorus.

Oct 26 Recital by guitarist Víctor Pellegrini.



MUSICCLASSICAL

CENTRO HISPANO-AMERICANO DE CULTURA

SALA GONZALO ROIG. PALACIO DEL TEATRO LÍRICO NACIONAL

Oct 19 Concert by the chamber orchestra Solistas de La Habana, conducted by María Elena Mendiola.

5:00pm

Oct 27, 5:00pm Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.

MUSEO NACIONAL DE LA MÚSICA

Oct 2 Recital by the duo Promúsica, made up of violinist Alfredo Muñoz and pianist María Victoria del Collado.

5:00pm

Sundays,

11:00pm

Concerts with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional.

Oct 16, 8:00pm Recital by Schola Cantorum Coralina, with guest guitarist Víctor Pellegrini.

Oct 13, 5:00pm Recital by the guitar quartet Ébanos de La Habana.

Oct 20, 7:00pm Concert by Ensamble Nueva Camerata.


SALA COVARRUBIAS, TEATRO NACIONAL



cubaABSOLUTELY.COM

5th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music

FestivalThrough October 13

Organized by the Leo Brouwer Office, the 5th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music Festival began this past September 24 and will continue until October 13, 2013. For the first time, it left Havana and traveled to the city of Santiago de Cuba where the splendid Sala Dolores theater was chosen to receive the prestigious Cuban and international musicians from September 24-26

Tribute was be paid to Cuban composer Harold Gramatges and a lecture was given on the rich musical heritage of Santiago de Cuba. The lecture was illustrated with performances by the Orfeón de Santiago and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Oriente. Although the focus of the festival is naturally chamber music, the event also includes debates, talks, film showings, exhibitions and book, CD and launchings.

From September 28th to October 13th , the festival will continue in Havana. Its organizers have announced the participation of musicians from ten different countries plus over forty world and national premieres. Two exhibitions, Memorias de un Festival (Memories of a Festival), with photographs by Gabriel Guerra Bianchini, Iván Soca and Silvio Rodríguez, and En Viaje con Calvino (Traveling with Calvino) by Marco Marini, opened at Sala de la Diversidad on September 30. The exhibitions are a tribute to the renowned Italian author Italo Calvino, born in Santiago de las Vegas, Cuba, on the 90th anniversary of his birth. Later that same day, Iglesia de Paula was chosen for the concert Órgano Plus with organist Vincent Bernhardt and double bassist Victor Soto, along with musicians from Il Delirio Fantástico and the Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble, who played pieces by Arnolt

Schlick, Michelangelo Rossi, Louis Couperin, Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi and from the Robertsbridge Codex. The Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura will show a series of videos on opera starting on September 25, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 3:00 pm

The Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, who has been acknowledged as one of the living geniuses of classical music in the international arena, has been, since its inception, the heart and soul of the festival through his supervision and total devotion. With regard to the festival, Brouwer has said: “Our policy is not figure-oriented, but rather repertoire-oriented…We have the privilege of having excellent Cuban musicians and first-rate young artists performing the best versions that exist in this regard, perhaps not the only ones, but certainly the best.” Leo Brouwer (Havana, 1939) has created more than 300 musical pieces and is currently the composer of classical music whose scores are most performed in the world, according to the SGAE (General Association of Authors and Publishers).

The 5th Leo Brouwer Festival has become one of the best music events held this year thanks to the excellence of participating singers and musicians, and a program that has combined skillfully--and originally and daringly I might add--the traditional repertoire with the contemporary. It is not easy to recommend any particular concert for October, they're all so good and I hope not to miss any. But if I were pressed to do so, my top three not-to-miss would be Paco de Lucía en vivo (Paco de Lucía Live), who is the soul of flamenco; De Vivaldi al minimalismo (From Vivaldi to Minimalism), what a combination!; and for those who prefer something more “classic”, De sonatas, conciertos y fantasías (Sonatas, concertos and fantasias).




http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/article_music_Concerts.php?id=V-Festival-Leo-Brouwer-de-Musica-de-Camara

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Paco de Lucía en vivo, concert by the flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía and his group / TEATRO KARL MARX

A special highlight in this year's festival will be the participation of guitarist and composer Paco de Lucía. It has been 26 years since his last performance in Cuba and Brouwer explained that although De Lucía had always longed to return to Cuba, his tight schedule had always kept him from doing so. At 65, Paco de Lucía is considered one of the best guitarists worldwide and has received many awards in his career, including the 2004 Prince of Asturias Award. The much acclaimed Spanish musician will receive the 2013 Cubadisco, the most important music award in Cuba.

Wednesday, October 2, 9pm

De Vivaldi al Minimalismo / SALA AVELLANEDA, TEATRO NACIONAL

Musicians: Il Delirio Fantastico and Conjunto de Música Antigua Ars Longa.

Program: Electric Counterpoint for guitar ensemble, by Steve Reich, directed and adapted for old instruments by Leo Brouwer, Enrike Solinis on guitar; Concerto da camera for recorder, strings and basso continuo in D major, RV 92, by Antonio Vivaldi; Yellow Page from Telephone Book by Michael Torke; Concerto da camera for recorder, strings and basso continuo in A minor, RV 108, by Vivaldi; Paisaje cubano con lluvia, by Leo Brouwer; Concierto for mandoline, nows and organ in G major, RV 532, by Vivaldi; John´s Book of Alleged Dances for string quartet cuarteto de cuerdas y loops, de John Adams; Concerto da camera para recorder, oboe, dos violines y bajo continuo en do mayor, RV 87, de Vivaldi; In C para ensamble libre, de Terry Riley.

October 3, 8:30 pm

Wagner vs. Verdi / SALA AVELLANEDA, TEATRO NACIONAL

Musicians: Cuarteto de cuerdas Presto; wind quintet Ventus Habana; wind quintet qui Santa Cecilia; Fadev Sajundo, trumpet; Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana.

Program: Cuarteto de cuerdas in E minor, vy Giuseppe Verdi; Retrato de Wagner con Mathilde for flute, viola, guitar and string orchestra, by Leo Brouwer; Verdiana for orchestra, by Leo Brouwer; Wesendonck Lieder for voice and piano, by Richard Wagner, texts by Mathilde Wesendonck

October 4, 8:30 pm

De Sao Paulo a La Habana / SALA AVELLANEDA, TEATRO NACIONAL

Musicians: Adelia Issa, soprano; Edelton Gloeden, guitar; Niurka González, flute; guitar quartet Quaternaglia; Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana; Ballet Rakatán.

Program: Uana lus & Kalimbas, by Egberto Gismonti; Mãe d'Água for voice and guitar, by César Guerra-Peixe; Oriki de Erinlé for voice and guitar, by Paulo Costa Lima, texts in yoruba by Ordep Serra; Canção do amor for voice and guitar, by Heitor Villa-Lobos, text by Dora Vasconcellos; Fragmentos de Tres canções de Inês for voice and guitar, by Ronaldo Miranda, text by Inês Cavalcanti; Ilharga, Osso for voice and guitar, by Antonio Ribeiro, text by Hilda Hilst; Ponteio for guitar, by Mozart Camargo Guarnieri; Duas canções for voice and flute, by Mozart Camargo Guarnieri, text by Manuel Bandeira: Mitología de las aguas, sonata No. 1 for guitar and flute, by Leo Brouwer; Variaciones sobre el tema de Xango for guitar quartet, by Almeida Prado; Sweet mineira pa guitar quartet, by Sergio Molina; Concierto Itálico for guitar quartet and string orchestra, by Leo Brouwer.

Oct 6 , 5:00 pm


Program5th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music Festival


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Brouwer flamenco / TEATRO DEL EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO, MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES

De Brouwer para Britten / BASÍLICA MENOR DEL CONVENTO DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS

Musicians: Josué Tacoronte, guitar; Arnulfo Guerra, bass; Ruy Adrián López-Nussa, percussion; Niurka González, flute; Silfredo Pérez, guitar and cuatro; Eduardo Bethencourt, cante and cajón; Thais Doimeadiós, dancer; Irene Rodríguez, bailaora.

Program: with works by Leo Brouwer: Elogio by la danza, for guitar, Seguirilla; “IX Homenaje a Szymanovski”, Nuevos estudios sencillos for guitar, Tientos; Un día de noviembre for guitar, Sonata para flauta, Fandangos; Música incidental campesina for two guitars, Guajira; Drume, negrita for guitar; Metáfora del amor for guitar and prerecordings; El Decamerón Negro for guitar: “I. El Arpa del Guerrero”, Tanguillos; “II. Huida de los amantes por el valle de los ecos”, Bulerías; “III. Balada de la doncella enamorada”, Rumba; Danza característica for guitar, Poema for voice and guitar, Rumba.

Musicians: Entrevoces Chorus; Niurka González, flute; Alberto Rosas, flute; Cello Capriccioso duet; wind quintet Santa Cecilia; Manuel Vivar, bell; Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana.

Program: Cinco canciones florales for mixed chorus, Op. 47, de Benjamin Britten: “V. Ballad of Green Broom”, “IV. The evening primrose” (text by John Clare); Sonatina canónica for flute, Op. 31, No. 3, by Paul Hindemith; Pieza fantástica en si mayor, Op. 8, No. 2, for cello and piano, by Paul Hindemith; Tarantella in G major, Op. 33, for cello and piano, by David Popper; Hungarian Rhapsody Op. 68, for cello and piano; Breves para cello, de Calixto Álvarez: “I. Sonsoneo”, “II. Romance”, “III. Bachata”; Sonata for cello and piano in C major mayor, Op. 65, by Benjamin Britten; Pregones de Tata Cuñengue for wind quintet, by Leo Brouwer: “I. Pregón del cuentero”, “II. Pregón de los misterios”, “III. A la salida del sol”, “IV. Pregón del repentista”; Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten for string orchestra and bell, by Arvo Pärt.

October 6, 7pm

October 7, 6pm

De sonatas, conciertos y fantasías / BASÍLICA MENOR DEL CONVENTO DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS

Musicians: Enrike Solinis, baroque guitar, electric guitar and lute; Il Delirio Fantastico; Victor Soto, double bass; Manuel Vivar, percussion.

Program: Four sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata en sol mayor, K. 14 (Presto); Sonata en re menor, K. 32 (Aria); Sonata en si menor, K. 27 (Allegro); Sonata en re menor, K. 176 (Cantabile andante), transcription by Enrike Solinís; El arpa y la sombra, by Leo Brouwer; two Fantasias by Alonso Mudarra: Romanesca II o Guárdame las vacas, and Fantasia X (que contrahaze la harpa a la manera de Ludovico); Nuevos estudios sencillos, by Leo Brouwer; Improvisaciones sobre Marionas, Canarios and Jácaras, by Gaspar Sanz; Cumbés, by Santiago de Murzia; Concerto da camera for recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon and basso continuo in D major, RV 94, by Antonio Vivaldi; Concerto da camera for recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon and basso continuo in C major, RV 88, by Vivaldi; Concierto for piccolo, strings and basso continuo in C major, RV 443, by Vivaldi.

October 8, 6pm

De Caturla a Valera / CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL

Musicians: chamber chorus Vocal Leo.

Program: Canto de los cafetales, by Alejandro García Caturla, texts by Alejo Carpentier; Nadie lo tiene, by Harold Gramatges, texts by Nicolás Guillén; “Pablito clavó un clavito”, “Nana Caliche” and “Tengo un gato” by Rondas, refranes y trabalenguas, texts and music by Leo Brouwer; Tres canciones, by Beatriz Corona, texts by Abel Acosta; A veces, de Electo Silva, texts by Nicolás Guillén; Yo no quiero más luz que tu cuerpo, by Guido López-Gavilán, texts by Miguel Hernández; Que rico é, music and texts by Guido López-Gavilán; Yambambó, by Emilio Grenet, texts by Nicolás Guillén, choral version by Octavio Marín; Quisiera (Guaguancó quasi una passacaglia), music and texts by Roberto Valera; La niña está calladita, by Roberto Valera, texts by Dulce María Loynaz; ¿Conoces un fuego que no dé calor, music and texts by Roberto Valera; Un baile muy rápido, music and texts by Roberto Valera; Iré a Santiago, by Roberto Valera, texts by Federico García Lorca.

October 6, 5pm



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Lecuona Plus / SALA AVELLANEDA, TEATRO NACIONAL

Musicians: Josué Tacoronte, guitar; Trío Lecuona; Ramón Valle, piano; Yasek Manzano, trumpet; Germán Velazco, sax; Ruy López Nussa, drums; Gastón Joya, double bass.

Program: Malagueña, La conga de medianoche, Ahí viene el chino, Siboney, En tres por cuatro, Córdoba, Andalucía, Danza de los ñánigos, La comparsa, Y la negra bailaba, Rumba mejoral, Gitanerías, Danza negra.

October 9, 8:30pm

Amor de ciudad grande / SALA AVELLANEDA, TEATRO NACIONAL

Esencia flamenca / SALA AVELLANEDA, TEATRO NACIONAL

Benny Moré 50 años después / SALA AVELLANEDA, TEATRO NACIONAL

Musicians: Dúo Ondina; Edelton Gloeden, guitar; Silfredo Pérez, guitar; Reynier Guerrero, violin; Alejandro Martínez, cello; Adelia Issa, vocal; Pablo Milanés, voice; Miguel Núñez, piano; Sergio Félix Raveiro, bass; Germán Velazco, sax; Edgar Martínez, percussion; Presto string quartet.

Program: Es el amor quien ve, for voice, flute, strings, piano, guitar and vibraphone, by Leo Brouwer; Elegías martianas for flute and piano, by Leo Brouwer: “I. …Y música sentida tiene mi voz”, “II. En el arpa del ángel silencioso”; Mi verso es como un puñal, Vierte corazón tu pena, Amor de ciudad grande, Poética, El enemigo brutal, Yo soy un hombre sincero, Es rubia… el cabello suelto, El príncipe enano, Si ves un monte de espumas, by Pablo Milanés, from texts by José Martí.

Musicians: Carlos Piñana, guitar; Miguel Ángel Orengo, cajón; Ernesto Oliva, piano; Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana; Habana Compás Dance; Josué Tacoronte, guitar; Arnulfo Guerra, bass; Ruy Adrián López-Nussa, cajón; Eduardo Bethencourt, song and percussion.

Program: El cuidado de una esencia, suite for guitar, cajón flamenco, piano and strings, by Carlos Piñana; Naseer (Tangos) by Carlos Piñana; Rosa de invierno (Fandangos), Jerez (Bulerías), Bohemia (Taranta/Alegrías), El día que tú me digas (Zapateado/Bulerías), Jaleos, by Carlos Piñana; Fusionando, Bulerías, by Eduardo Córdova; Danza característica for guitar, by Leo Brouwer.

Musicians: Vocal Sampling, Ensemble Gurrufío and X Alfonso.

Program: Canto al Benny, by René Baños; Dolor y perdón, by Benny Moré; Un son pa´cantar, by René Baños; Qué bueno baila usted, by Benny Moré; Apure en un viaje (joropo), by Genaro Prieto; Ay, compae (merengue), by Henry Martínez; Atardecer (vals serenade), by Lencho Amaro; Destello de amor, by Armando Molero; Por estos rincones, by Cristóbal Soto; Morenita (merengue), by Pedro Oropeza; Ahora (vals song), by Otilio Galíndez; Sr. Jou, by Pablo Camacaro; El cruzao (joropo), by Ricardo Sandoval; La Guachafita (joropo), by Alberto Muñoz; El vuelo de la mosca (Brazilian valsinha), de Jacob do Bandolim.

Oct 11 , 8:30 pm

October 11, 8:30pm

October 12, 8:30pm

Meñique a flor de labios / TEATRO KARL MARX

Musicians: Annabel Gutiérrez, harp; Ernesto Oliva, piano; Eylín Marquetti and Manuel Vivar, percussion; Diminuto chorus; Solfa chorus.

Program: Varias manera de hacer música con papel and Cantigas del tiempo nuevo, by Leo Brouwer.

October 13, 5pm



CA: Sue, can you tell us a bit about your project?

Sue: Yes, and thank you for inviting me here to talk about my work.

UP INTO THE SILENCE (UITS) was a performance that we gave here in Havana in June, 2012; a concert of my music (songs) set to the poetry of the great American post-modernist, E. E. Cummings, and sung by Cuban artist, Diana Fuentes. It was the second concert produced by our team - QUIET NIGHTS CUBA. (QNC is myself – as composer & Artistic Director, Darsi Fernandez and Yoana Grass (Producers), and Idania del Rio (Designer/Visuals). We also work with Denis Peralta (Musical Director), Alejandro Lugo (Musical Productor), Alfonso Peña & Scorpio (Design/Recording of the live 5.1 surround sound) and Luis Najmias Jnr. (Film & DVD Director).

CA: Why poetry, and why E. E. Cummings?

Sue: Well, it began in 2002. I took one of Cummings´s poems – just as a musical exercise – then completely fell in love with it, set it to music (as a song – just piano and voice ), and then - without any plan at all - spent the next 4 years writing just to his work! Complete instinct, really. I finally stopped in 2004 when I had a cycle of 13 songs that I felt really happy with. And then - with Diana (Fuentes), who was, then, just beginning her career - we recorded a demo

of six of those songs. We won a music prize here, with that demo. Since then - with the release of her own solo albums - she´s shot to fame; has just been signed by Sony. She´s a very fine, sensitive, singer and artist, and lovely to work with.

CA: So what made you return to this project - after a

break of 8 years?

Sue: Well…yes…fast forward to the very beginning of 2011. One night Diana and I were chatting on Facebook - she was living in Puerto Rico by then - and just very spontaneously we both decided we´d like to go back to this project; to do a proper concert of the original Cummings songs. So I set to work. As I said, all of the originals were just for solo piano and voice but since I´d been working a lot with more electronic and home-made sounds - a work I love to do with sound-man/ experimenter, Ale (Lugo) - I reworked many of them to include that, newer, side of my work. I also changed the format – using piano, but also a live string quartet alongside small, and quite fragmented, pre-recorded sounds, for example - to be played live on drum pad and keyboard. The combination really worked, I think – it was certainly something very different for here.


This week we talked to British composer, Sue Herrod, about the up-and-coming premier of her prize-winning concert DVD - UP INTO THE SILENCE. This screening, which will include a Making of …and the concert itself, will last around 75 minutes. It is to be part of the prestigious Leo Brouwer Festival of Music (Sept 24th - Oct 13th, 2013) and will be shown on Saturday, September 28th, at 5pm, in Havana´s Cine Chaplin, Vedado.

Sue has lived in Havana for almost 16 years and also writes a cultural blog and articles for various publications (including CubaAbsolutely) about life and people on the island.


Interview with Sue Herrod


CA: And the process?

Sue: Well, I start out with the music/concert/project idea then start brainstorming it with Idania (del Rio). She´s such a star, thinks right outside of the box, quirky, so very talented. Then, we´ll meet with both Darsi and Yoana. Then…well, it's just developing the work. Me and Alejandro, me and Denis, team meetings…and on and on.

UP INTO THE SILENCE took a couple of years of really solid team work and involved - wonderfully, for us - some of the very best musicians, filmmakers, photographers, designers, actors, sound engineers, translators and producers on the island. An amazing team. We were really proud, then, not only to have created what we consider to have been a beautiful music/visual project (with rotating overhead projectors, mapping effects etc.) but to have also brought the work of Cummings to Cuba; to an audience who previously had no, or little, knowledge of his incredible poetry. We have to thank Cuban poet, Omar Perez, here, for his really meticulous and fine translations - not easy with Cummings. And then someone who most Cubans consider to be their finest actor (as well as their finest comedian, by the way!), Osvaldo Doimeadios: a brilliant artist who recorded some of the poetry in Spanish - that we then used in the live concert.

The team - QNC - have always felt, too, that we were about something bigger than just a concert or a project; something that is, sincerely, very important to us. And that's to be part of a movement of intercultural exchanges. Interestingly, both of my projects so far have linked the USA and Cuba. There seems to be no cultural bridge like music and - this time – it was accompanied by some of the most important and beautiful poetry ever written.

CA: We know that it's quite unusual for a foreigner to

have their work supported here, in this way. How did this

happen?

Sue: Yes, it is - and I´m not just incredibly grateful for this - but also, I have to say, made very proud to be a permanent Cuban resident. Cuba is very rich in culture - as you well know - but it´s a poor country and so the commitment to supporting us artists - and UITS, in this instance - is even more remarkable, I feel. And last year I was also lucky enough to be accepted as a member of UNEAC (the Music & Artists Union) which is a great honour. It's a very prestigious organization here and it means I now belong to an official artistic institution – a great support for me and for my work.

So, what happened is that we presented UITS to two institutions: Producciones Colibrí and Producciones Ojalá - with great help from Ernán López-Nussa - and, luckily, both companies loved it. Of course, then having Diana (Fuentes) and Aldo (López Gavilán) on board – both very well-known and respected young musicians – was key. Plus, having Darsi and Yoana who are simply, in my view, the best producers around. So I am eternally grateful for all this, and to all of these people. For readers who aren´t familiar with the Cuban music scene Colibrí and Ojalá are two very fine, small, Cuban record companies/labels: Colibrí is part of the Cuban Music Institute and Ojalá is owned by one of Cuba´s most famous musicians, Silvio Rodríguez.

We had other, great, support: from Aurelia Productions, from tourist agencies CTN and Cubania, and from Hector Higuera - owner of the fine restaurant, Le Chansonnier. I also want to thank you, CubaAbsolutely, for helping us promote the concert, and another on-line Cuban music company, Suenacubano, too.



two performances and I think there was a maximum of 300 people in each one. So many people, who really wanted to see it, missed it. But now - at least - we have the chance to show it to you as an HD DVD in the best cinema in town - Cine Chaplin - and with the best possible sound: we´ll set up the 5.1 surround sound there to give you the closest experience possible to the live concert.

And the whole context for this, of course, is the Leo Brouwer Festival. It's not just a wonderful opportunity for us – to show the work in Chaplin – but, for me personally, a complete honour to be included in this particular festival. It´s one of the most prestigious and respected events in the Cuban cultural calendar and, well, I´m extremely grateful, very happy to be there.

CA: A last word…..?

Sue: That I think we´ve achieved something new and quite beautiful with UP INTO THE SILENCE and that we, as a team, are all really proud of the outcome. Quiet Nights, and UITS, is not just me – it's a core team, and a really fantastic one. We´re a permanent fixture now and will probably produce another project together in 2014. And The UITS DVD that you´ll see on September 28th actually won two CubaDisco prizes this year, too! One was for the best DVD of a live concert; the other for the best setting of poetry to music. So I hope you´ll all come to celebrate this with us – to support us – to enjoy it – and to chat afterwards and tell us what you think!

And, thanks - so much - to everyone.

The (world) premier of the concert DVD – UP INTO THE SILENCE – will be screened with 5.1 surround sound on: Saturday, September 28th, at 5pm - Cine Chaplin, Calle 23 y 10, Vedado. Sue will be there to introduce the screening – along with some of the musicians and production team involved in the project – and there will be a special appearance from actor Osvaldo Doimeadios who will read selected poetry by E. E. Cummings.

CA: Where was the concert performed?

Sue: We gave two concerts of the work in Cuba´s biggest theatre - Karl Marx - but we closed down the main part and set everything thing in the round – public and artists – just on the theatre stage. (That original idea came from Ernán López-Nusa - one of Cuba´s finest jazz pianists - and was a real stroke of genius). The team there were stellar. And - thanks to Peña (plus Delio and Carlos, of Scorpio Sound Team) - we had this amazing, specially designed, live, 5.1 surround sound, too. The stage-floor visuals and mapping was inspired work from Idania and Mauricio Abad (another very talented, out-of-the-box thinker, there). And all this - the setting, the visuals and the sound - were a first for the theatre, and for the Cuban public – so all of that was pretty exciting. Doing something new is definitely very much part of any project, for us.

CA: Were you happy with the outcome?

Sue: Oh yes, very! I mean, there are always little things. In the second concert something happened with the lighting. Then I think the stage-floor visuals – which look so amazing on the DVD - were not that easy, live; the audience would need to be seated higher up, looking more downwards, and we couldn't find a way. But overall…it was very delicate and beautiful, I think, and the audience was very enthusiastic. Diana sang like an angel and we also had two very fine pianists: the lovely Aldo López-Gavilán, and a younger, emerging talent, Darío Martín. Denis (Peralta) was outstanding as a MD, and also conducted a wonderful string quartet (I can´t wait to work with them again). And, as in our first concert, we had friends Marietta González (keyboard) and Mauricio Gutiérrez (percussion) with us. Great people. It was a small, intimate, minimalist event – quiet, spacious, rich colours, floating melodies, breath, fragmented sounds ….and silence. Magical, really.

CA: So then, on to the DVD and the premier on

September 28th.

Sue: Well, we decided early on that we wanted to film the concert and create a high-quality DVD. And we were lucky enough to work with Luis Najmias Jnr. (a multi-prizewinning director) who both filmed (nine cameras!) and produced this DVD – which, as you´ve said, includes a short Making of….plus the concert itself. Our only sadness with the live concert was that we were only able to offer




http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Culture/article_music_Concerts.php?id=Up-into-the-Silence-Interview-with-Sue-Herrod

LAS LÁGRIMAS NO HACEN RUIDO AL CAER

TUESDAY, WEDNESAY AND THURSDAY, 7PM THROUGH OCTOBER CAFÉ TEATRO BERTOLT BRECHT

Monse Duany is the legendary Cuban singer Guadalupe Yolí-La Lupe-in the monologue Las lágrimas no hacen ruido al caer by the late playwright Alberto Pedro. Monse Duany is versatility itself: She creates situations of humor and anguish, joy and sadness, understanding and impotence. She sings, dances, recites, dreams, shouts, cries, falls in love, suffers… She is the kind of actress that exudes energy and passion.

Back this month for an extended run after great reviews from the shows last month. If you haven't yet seen it you have no excuse and you won't regret it…

THEATER & PERFORMING ARTS


DE VUELTA AL MUSICAL [BACK TO MUSICALS]

ANFITEATRO DEL CENTRO HISTÓRICO THROUGHOUT OCTOBER, SAT & SUN, 9PM

Alfonso Menéndez's revitalized troupe returns to the stage of Havana's Amphitheatre in the Historic Center for a medley of famous songs from musical theater and films. Beautiful and suggestive music, excellent performances by young actors and singers, and splendid costumes enhance this production that includes selections from well-known musicals, such as “Masquerade” (The Phantom of the Opera); "Over the Rainbow” (The Wizard of Oz); “Septimino” (The Merry Widow); “When You're Good to Mama”, “We Both Reached for the Gun”, “All that Jazz” (Chicago); “Two Ladies” and “Maybe this Time” (Cabaret); “Yo me acaricio” (Cantando desnudos), “Singing in the Rain” (Singing in the Rain), “I Dreamed a Dream”, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” (Les Miserables), “Don't Cry for Me, Argentina” (Evita), “New York, New York” (New York, New York), “I Could Have Danced All Night” (My Fair Lady), “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” (Moulin Rouge!), “One” (A Chorus Line) and “Mamma mia” (Mamma mia!).




SALA TITO JUNCO. CENTRO BERTOLT BRECHT

Tue, Wed & Thu

8:30pm

Fri & Sat 8:30pm;

Sun, 5pm

La paz perpetua, by Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga, produced by Compañía del Cuartel and directed by Sahily Moreda, uses irony, mockery and the externalization of violence to define the power/subordination relationship among the warring characters

Mefisto Teatro, directed by Tony Díaz, presents Muerte en el bosque, based on a novel by Cuban novelist Leonardo Padura.

SALA CHE GUEVARA. CASA DE LAS AMÉRICAS

October 21, 4pm Directed by Julio Cardoso and Manuel Longueira, Islas de la memoria. Historias de guerra en la posguerra, is a sort or oral narration that uses theater recourses to reveal the story behind the conflict over the Falkland Islands. performed by Argentenean actors Lucía Adúriz, Alejandro Cobas, Marcela Haimovichi, Manuel Longueira, Pablo Maruzzi and Cristina Suárez. This is a production of the Teatro Nacional Cervantes.

TEATRO TRIANÓN

Fri & Sat,

8:30pm

Sun 5pm

Antigonón, un contingente épico (work in progress), by Rogelio Orizondo, staged by Teatro El Público. With only two actresses on the stage, this reworking of the myth of Antigone uses recourses such as dance, fragmentation of the discourse and the intersexuality to delve into present-day concerns.

SALA ADOLFO LLAURADÓ

Fri & Sat, 8:30pm,

Sun, 5pm,

Teatro de la Luna presents Matrimonio en blanco, by the well-known Polish playwright Tadeusz Rozewicz, a complex play that revolves around sexuality.



Although the detailed information available to the public with a month's advance regarding the plays to be produced is unfortunately missing this year, we nevertheless suggest you start training now if you want to be able to see, if not all, at least a good number of the plays presented during the festival. You'll need to race from theater to theater and maybe do a little boxing to buy tickets or do a hurdle race to secure good seats at theaters where they are not numbered, like El Ciervo Encantado or Argos Teatro.

This year's festival, which is dedicated to the teacher, director and actor Konstantín Stanislavski, is estimated at around 70 plays (7 plays daily!) from 20 countries, including Cuba, which has announced a selection of the best productions from the past two years. As usual, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Brazil, and Cuba, will capture the attention of most theater lovers. Small plays and unipersonals will dominate the stage, although there will be other tempting offers, such as Deutsches Theater Berlin, with Die Hamletmasxhine, and Teatro Estatal Académico Vajtangov, from Russia, with Anna Karenina.

A special highlight during the festival will be the long awaited return to Havana's stages of the great Argentine actress Graciela Dufau, who the Cuban public will be able to enjoy in La mujer justa, based on Hungarian Sándor Márai's novel The Fair Woman.

Also from Argentina is Marica, a one-person show by Pepe Cibrián Campoy, presented by El Vasco Producciones. The play describes the work of an actor imagining the final hours of Federico García Lorca's life and his relation with the murderer. The actor will portray Lorca, the murderer, his mother and father, Salvador Dalí and a woman from the town.

The German-Chilean co-production Calcetines, mentiras y vino is a one-person musical which has been praised by critics. The protagonist shares details of a group of friends and his small world with music, comedy, philosophy and poetry.

Other interesting offers are Falsa alarma, a play by the great Cuban playwright Virgilio Piñera, produced by the Ecuadoran company Teatro Ensayo GESTUS; and Su Excelencia, Ricardo III, a Brazilian street theater version of the Shakespeare classic, which is a must-see.

Like in previous years, a theoretical event will be held at Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) as well as workshops at the national School of Theater at the University of the Arts. Prior to the festival, the Palacio de Convenciones will be the venue for the 34th International Congress of the International Theater Institute, from October 20-25. The theme that will be examined during the congress will be the perspectives for the development of performing arts in the world.

XV Festival de Teatro de La Habana


October 25-November 3, Theaters in Havana





Theatres in Havana

América Teatro

América TeatroOpened in 1941. Art deco style with mag-nificent interiorsGaliano 253 entre Con-cordia y Neptuno. Centro Havana(07) 862-5416

Bertolt Brecht Centro CulturalCultural centre houses a modern 300-seat space called Sala Alternativa Calle 13, esq. I. Vedado (07)832-9359

Casa de la Comedia Also known as the Salón Ensayo, it is the base for the company El Taller Justiz No. 18, entre Baratillo y Oficios. Old Havana

La Casona Adapted in 1970 as rehearsal space for the Teatro Estudio theatre company Calle 11, e/D y E. Vedado

(07) 832-5373

Adolfo LlauradóSala TeatroHome of the Teatro Estudio troupe. Varied theatre programCalle 11, e/ 11 D y E. Vedado

La Colmenita A theatre group of children for children, Their performances have been widely acclaimed Sala de la Orden Tercera. Convento de San Fran-cisco, Plaza de San Francisco. Old Havana

Fausto TeatroProbably the best place in Havana for variety and comedy acts Prado No. 201, esq. Colon. Old Havana

(07) 863-1173

GaiaAn arts center that was set up in 2000 Teniente y Rey No. 157, e/ Cuba y Aguiar. Old Havana(07) 862-0401

Teatro Nacional deGuinol Home to Cuba’s leading children’s theatre and puppetry company Calle M, e/ 17 y 19. Vedado(07) 832-6262

Hubert de BlanckTeatroPredominantly stages classics of internation-al theaterCalzada (7ma), No. 657, e/ A y B. Vedado (07) 830-1011

El Sótano Sala TeatroHome to the Compañía Teatral Rita Montaner. Quite basic Calle K, e/ 25 y 27. Vedado(07) 832-0630

Trianón CineTeatroHome to the renowned theatre company Teatro El PublicoCalle Línea e/ Paseo y A. Vedado(07) 830-9648


OTHER EVENTS IN HAVANASEGUNDO MES DE LA CULTURA BRASILEÑA EN CUBAOCTOBER 2-31 HAVANA

Lovers of Brazilian culture will have a blast with the wide and diverse program that has been organized in which cinema occupies a privileged space, with the Brazil Film Club, every Wednesday, at 4 pm at Casa del Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, which screens and discusses films from different epochs¸ genres and trends. Meanwhile, the Chaplin Theater announces a series of feature films, shorts and documentaries dedicated to filmmaker Leon Hirszman from October 7-13. The lobby of the theater will exhibit photographs of Hirszman work.


On the 8th, the theater of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes will present a video on Cuban singer Yolo Bonilla, who will also review his connection with Brazilian culture. Bonilla will sing at La Zorra y el Cuervo Club on the 12th at 2pm. Also on the 12th, but at 7 pm, Las Carolinas Theater in Old Havana will host a performance of capoeira--an Afro-Brazilian cultural expression that integrates dance, music and martial arts--by the groups Siré Angola and Caimán.

Casa de las Americas will join in the celebration with the exhibition Vidigal: retratos de una favela (Oct 31, 3pm), by the author and photographer Bruna Fonte, and the presentation of Brazilian books from Casa's catalogue.

II COLOQUIO INTERNACIONAL DEL PROGRAMA DE ESTUDIOS SOBRE LATINOS EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOSOCTOBER 15-17, CASA DE LAS AMÉRICAS

Under the theme of “Latinos in the arts and letters,”, the colloquium will examine interactions, conflicts and complexities of the artistic and cultural production of this part of the population within US mainstream and their relationship with the production of their nations of origin, from a multilateral view, contrary to discriminatory, derogatory and prejudiced discourses that insist on seeing this population as threatening.

The themes to be discussed include 1. Historiographical models of the music produced by Latinos in the United States; 2. The perspectives of theater made by and for Latinos; 3. Visual arts and the Latino character, so far and yet so close; 4. Literature, creation and the publishing market; 5. Cultural interactions: Where do we come from? Where are we headed?



TEATRO DE TÍTERES EL ARCAFri, Sat and Sun, 3pm, through Octobre 20

The El Arca Puppet Theater continues this month with Sueño de una noche de verano based on William Shakespeare's immortal A Midsummer Night's Dream with music by Mendelssohn.

FOR KIDS

October 22, 10amThe El Arca Puppet Theater will be celebrating its third anniversary with Los tres pichones, based on a short story by Cuban author Onelio Jorge Cardoso, with the performance of actress Miriam Sánchez. The celebration also includes the showing of the documentary Tía Tata, un recuerdo que TeVe.

Festival de Teatro de La HabanaThe Theater Festival, which is held in Havana every year around this time, also has several performances in store for the small fries:October 25: Sueño de una noche de verano, El Arca (Havana). October 26 & 27: Los pícaros burlados, Los Zahories (Las Tunas).October 28 & 29: El ruiseñor, Retablos (Cienfuegos).October 30 & 31: El circo de la ilusión, Paciencia de Guayaba (Colombia).


EN BUENA CONPANÍA THROUGHOUT OCTOBER, SAT & SUN, 4PM & 7PM

CARPA TROMPOLOCO

The summer's over but the magical and adventurous world of the circus goes on. Cuba's prime circus venue, Carpa Trompoloco, located at 5ta Avenida y calle 112 in Miramar, Playa, will continue to present shows throughout the month, Saturdays and Sundays, at 4pm & 7pm. “En Buena Conpanía” (In Good Company) is the name of the new show featuring, among other acts, tightrope walkers, acrobats, clowns, gymnasts, trained animals, and the fascinating flying trapeze, which was awarded the Grand Prix during the past CIRCUBA 2013 Festival. And if you happen to be in the town of Encrucijada in Villa Clara province, don't miss Aventura Azul, the shsow that the National Circus will be presenting from October 2-6. But wherever you are, the circus

Carpa Trompoloco: 5ta. Avenida y 112, Miramar, Playa, Tel: 206 5609



OTHER EVENTS AROUND CUBA


XIX Fiesta de la Cultura

IberoamericanaOctober 23-30 City of Holguín

Three hundred delegates from 20 countries have confirmed their attendance at the 19th the Ibero-American Culture Festival. Sponsored by Casa de Iberoamérica, the festival commemorates the meeting between the European and the American cultures 521 years ago, with the arrival of Columbus in this part of the world, although other assure that the Vikings has actually been here first.

This year's festival, which will focus on the processes of integration and emancipation in Latin America, holds several sub-events such as the Latin American Arts Salon, the Iberoarte craft--65 craftsmen and women from different countries have confirmed their participation--the Ibero-American audiovisual showings, and the innumerable dance and music performances in squares and parks.

The Day of the Seed is a traditional event that recreates the cultural roots of the Ibero-American world. The Tambor Fiesta, which focuses on the percussion instrument, also known as conga, essential in Cuban popular music, aims to highlight the significant contributions of African cultures to Latin America. Other events include the Guitar and the Solidarity Fiestas. The latter will host a cultural dialogue between the communities of Spanish-born and Spanish descendants, the neighborhoods and visitors. Meanwhile, the New Peoples Fiesta celebrates the identity built from the confluence of diverse American ethnicities and cultures. A new event this year will be the first world meeting of folk dances by couples.

The 8th Ibero-American Congress of Thought will discuss topics related to heritage and cultural identity; processes of change; social and political movements; regional culture and integration; the Cuban social project and national identity; history; important figures; identity and integration processes; ethnicity, gender and development projects; environment, bioethics and law; private and institutional collectors; art practices, biennials and public spaces; and migration, citizenship and civil society.



“Yanisleidys! Do you have any cumin?” “Are you ever going to learn to buy cassava?” “Caballero, if you drink all the rum now, all you'll have for the party will be water!”

From street to street, neighborhood to neighborhood throughout Cuba, scenes like these are repeated over and over every September 27th, on the eve of the anniversary of the creation of the Comités de Defensa de la Revolución (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution), better known by their acronym CDR. The organization was formed on September 28, 1960, when, in the midst of one of Fidel Castro's impassioned speeches, several explosions were heard. The reply of the multitude was to give cheers to the Revolution and Fidel immediately proposed the creation of a neighborhood organization that would defend the young revolutionary process against internal and external dangers through the surveillance by the people of enemy activity.

Over time, surveillance would be accompanied by other activities, such as polio vaccination campaigns, blood donations, collecting waste material for recycling, etc. but the tradition of the party remained unchanged.

Days before the “fiesta del Comité” a group of enthusiastic members raise money with the help of the neighbors and divide the tasks among them. One buys rum, another is responsible for the lights, others decorate the block… However, the undisputed star of the show is the person responsible for preparing the “caldosa.”

Caldosa is an enigmatic stew, a poor relative of the ajiaco, a

traditional Cuban stew that contains large chunks of pork, beef, chorizo and a medley of vegetables. For the caldosa, alas, there is no fixed recipe. It takes whatever you can find in the market: potatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes, plaintain, onion, garlic, pepper, oregano, cumin, salt, sausage of any kind, chicken giblets, mutton or pork ribs or pork head, water and its ready to be cooked. Everybody on the block contributes something from their fridge or pantry to the caldosa of unpredictable flavor. This jumble of meat and vegetables is then cooked in a huge pot outside right on the street. Placing the pot, filling it with the uncooked food, lighting the fire, and taking turns stirring the stew is a ritual in itself. When it's done, it's time to start the party.

This is the fiesta del barrio. Neighbors who don't even glance at each other throughout the year may get deep in conversation with intimate details. A family who has recently moved has the chance of getting to know the people on their block. Others catch up on some juicy story. Meanwhile, the little ones run around, happy to be able to stay up late, and the teenagers play their favorite music that ranges from salsa to timba to reggaeton. While fruit punch is the usual beverage for kids and senior citizens, the omnipresent rum is coveted by the men--and some women.

The party may go on past midnight at least for a couple of hours more. Some people leave early, some at the stroke of midnight, while diehards may probably stay up until the break of day--as long as there's rum to keep them company!

Caldosa & rum for the fiesta del barrio by Victoria Alcalá




http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/AboutCuba/article_dayshistory.php?id=Caldosa-and-rum-for-the-fiesta-del-barrio


October 20th, 1868: The birth of the Cuban National Anthem, La Bayamesa

National Cuban Culture Day is celebrated on October 20, which is considered the day that marks the birth of a rebellious nation and its identity. This day commemorates one of the most important events in Cuba's history. The Cuban National Anthem, La Bayamesa, was heard for the first time when rebel troops led by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes freed the city of Bayamo in 1868.

The author of the ardent verses was the lawyer Pedro “Perucho” Figueredo, who had been asked the year before to write “our own Marseillaise.” The next day he composed the melody of the future anthem and a month later it was played in the principal church in Bayamo. However, the hymn would have to wait 14 months for the lyrics, which Perucho wrote after the battle of October 20, 1868, right on the saddle of his horse. Two years later, he was captured by the Spaniards and just before he was executed, he shouted the line from his anthem: Morir por la Patria es vivir – “To die for the Motherland is to live.”

From October 20, 1868 on, the Bayamo Anthem presided every ceremony and action of the Cuban independence movement. Over time, it transcended as a symbol of the nation and faithful expression of the character and identity of the Cuban people. This is why on August 22, 1980, the Council of Ministers agreed to establish October 20 as Cuban Culture Day in acknowledgement of the day that the people sang Cuba's National Anthem, expressing the spirit of independence in its inflamed music and patriotic poetry.


Just a month in and Cuba Libro – 'the islands first English-language bookstore – is proving a wild ride. Quite like Cuba itself, it's chaotic and fun; full of daily randomness like blackouts, fumigation, and marriage proposals; receiving limitless solidarity from family, friends, and strangers; and is a precipitous, perennial learning curve – Cubans are crazy for cappuccino for instance and there's huge demand for music magazines.

A day doesn't go by without interesting people dropping in, from DJs and doctors to ambassadors and world travelers, and novel experiences are always unfolding or just about to. Already we've scheduled art shows through January with magnificent exhibits by local artists of drawings, graffiti, even puppets and tapestries, plus the water bottle refill service is catching on.

Cuba Libro has also sparked a fury of donations from people living here and others who wished they did; we're happy to report that our public has very good taste. The most recent acquisitions include George Eliot and James Joyce, Steinbeck, Stendhal and yes, Our Man in Havana. And just the other day, as we sipped our espressos in the garden with a Cuban philosophy professor, something extraordinary (and historic) happened: a gentleman rode up to our door on a bicycle, extracted a padded manila envelope from his satchel and delivered our first donation sent through the US, and received by the Cuban postal services. It was postmarked August 13, from Northfield, Illinois, and was placed in our hands on August 27th. Big ups to author Libby Fischer Hellmann for going to the effort and expense (sending this 1-pound book cost $16) to support Cuba Libro. Next time you're in Havana, the coffee is on us!

Yesterday, as we told some friends about all the exciting things afoot, they said, 'Cuba Libro has some kind of angel watching over it.' Actually, we have three and everyone who has come in so far has felt them in one way or another. Angels, magic, mana, aloha – whatever you call it, we've got it, not unlike Cuba itself.

Follow Cuba Libro developments at our FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/cubalibrohav) and on Twitter @cubalibrohavana.

Cuba Libro: Havana's 1st English-Language Bookstore & Café Located on a terminally shady corner in the desirable Vedado d i s t r i c t , t h i s ' c a f é l i t e r a r i o ' i s b r i n g i n g t h e bookstore/coffeehouse concept to the island. All books and magazines pass through the 'Conner filter' (if you find a Harlequin Romance on the shelves, you get a free espresso!): I guarantee if you're in need of quality reading material or conversation with interesting, creative Cubans, you'll find it here.

In addition to featuring monthly shows by talented local artists – August showcases over a dozen captivating images by photographer Alain Gutiérrez – Cuba Libro offers many services travelers are after: water bottle refills; postcards, stamps, and mailing; a cultural calendar (so you won't miss that hot concert or polemic play); and expert travel tips. This is an ethically-responsible business that offers a lending library for those who can't afford books, a collective employment model where the entire team benefits, and an environmentally-friendly approach. Like Cuba itself, Cuba Libro strives for equity and a healthy, culturally-rich atmosphere. This is also a regguetón free zone – we listen to real music at Cuba Libro! Come early to snag a coveted hammock or hanging chair in the garden.

Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-8pm.

Cuba (Libro) Va!By Conner Gorry

Calle 24 @ Calle 19El Vedado830-5205




https://www.facebook.com/cubalibrohav

Style of food Fussion

Cost Expensive

Type of place Paladar (private)

FoodAmbience ServiceValue

Best for Interesting menu, beau-tiful building with great décor and good service.

Worst for Getting a reservation in busy periods.

Calle 5 entre Paseo y 2, Vedado

+53 (07) 836-2025

[email protected]

Open noon-midnight daily

Cuba Absolutely Review: September 2013Atelier keeps getting better, recent renovations have improved the place while the food remains excellent. Atelier is run by Niuris Higueras who has a passion for creating food. She is the driving force--modest, capable, and warm. She defines the style of the food as signature cuisine, an experimental culinary workshop. The food changes every day, every week, hence those handwritten menu. Eclectic, everything from Falafels, Pato confitado [candied duck], Lomito de res con camarones y Espuma de apio al olivo [sirloin steak with shrimp and celery mousse], Conejo al vino [rab-bit in wine] to cerdo asado (roast pork). Desserts are standard (flan, tarts, ice cream) but good.

The large main room is decorated with sparse modern lines, inside a typically idiosyncratic Vedado mansion. Two balconies have boundless cushions for the outdoor lounge. An antique hob outsi-de, old sewing and adding machines inside make the place retro yet not old.

El AtelierCA TOP PICKCA 5


Best places to eat in HavanaEl Atelier Contemporary fusion

Calle 5 entre Paseo y 2, Vedado

(07) 836-7075

CA 5 Bikos Spanish/Mediterranean

Calle 19, No 1010, esquina a 12, Vedado

(07) 836-3603

CA 5 Café Laurent Spanish/Mediterranean

Calle M No. 257, entre 19 y 21, Vedado

(07) 831-2090/832-6890

CA 5 Calle 10International

Calle 10 No. 314 entre 3ra y 5ta, Miramar

(07) 205-3970

CA 5

La Casa Contemporary fusion

Calle 30 No. 865 entre 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado

(07) 881-7000

CA 5 Casa MiglisSwedish

Lealtad 120 entre Ánimas y Lagunas. Centro Havana

(07) 864-1486

CA 5 El Chanchullero Spanish/Mediterranean

Teniente Rey 457ª bajo entre Bernaza y El Cristo

(07) 872-8227

CA 5+ LeChansonnierContemporary fusion

Calle J No. 257 entre Línea y 15, Vedado

(07) 832-1576

CA 5+

El CocineroInternational

Calle 26, S/N, between 11 and 13, Vedado.

(07) 832-2355

CA 5+ Corte del Principe (Sergio’s)Italian

9na esq. 74, Playa

(05) 255-9091

CA 5+ Il Divino International

Calle Raquel, No. 50 e/ Esperanza y Lindero. Reparto Castillo de Averhoff, Mantilla, Arroyo Naranjo

(07) 643-7734

CA 5+ Doña Eutimia Cuban/Creole

Callejón del Chorro No. 60C. Plaza de la Catedral

(05) 281-5883

CA 5+

La Fontana International

Calle 46 No. 305 esquina a 3ra, Miramar

(07) 202-8337

CA 5+ La Guarida Contemporary fusion

Concordia 418 entre Gervasio y Escobar

(07) 866-9047

CA 5+ Ivan Chef JustoSpanish/Mediterranean

Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacun, Havana Vieja

(07) 863-9697

CA 5+ Rio MarInternational

3A y Final # 11, La Puntilla, Miramar, Havana, Cuba

CA 5

San Cristóbal Cuban/Creole

Calle San Rafael No 469 entre Lealtad y Cam-panario

(07) 860-9109

CA 5 SantySushi/Oriental

Calle 240A No 3023 y 3raC, Jaimanitas

(05) 286-7039

CA 5+ StarbienSpanish/Mediterranean

Calle 29 # 205 entre B y C. Vedado.

(07) 830-0711

CA 5 El Templete Spanish/Mediterranean

Avenida del Puerto No. 12 esquina a Narciso López

(07) 866-8807

CA 5

Le Chansonnier


Style of food Contemporary fusion

Cost Expensive



Best for The IT Place, the IN Place. Stylish, elegant and sophisticated décor.

Worst for Getting a reservation in busy periods. Getting taken over by American tour groups.

Calle J No. 257 entre Línea y 15, Vedado

(7) 832 1576

Style of food International

Cost Moderate



Best for Trendy, funky and buzzing atmo-sphere. Great post modern location. Quality food.

Worst for When it rains you get wet on the main deck.


(7) 832 2355

Style of food Italian

Cost Expensive



Best for Spectacular homemade Italian pastas. Cozy atmosphere, excellent service.

Worst for Getting a reservation. Not cheap (although its worth it)

9na esq. 74, Playa

5-255-9091

VIDEO

Style of food Spanish/Mediterranean

Cost Cheap



Best for Amazing value and quality food in an authentic hole in the wall place with a good vibe.

Worst for Can get hot during summer.

Teniente Rey 457ª bajos entre Bernaza y El Cristo. Havana Vieja

+53 7 872 8227

cabezal

El Chanchullero CA TOP PICKCA 5+

Le Chansonnier CA TOP PICKCA 5+

El Cocinero CA TOP PICKCA 5+

Corte del Príncipe CA TOP PICKCA 5+




Best Bars & Clubs in HavanaBarbaram Pepito’s Bar Live music – trova Calle 26 e/ Avenida Zoologigo & Calle 47, Nuevo Vedado. (07) 881-1808

CA 4+ Bertolt Brecht Café Teatro Live music – contem-porary fusion Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado. (07) 830-1354 / 832-9359

CA 5 Bohemio BarBar – contemporary Calle 21 No 1065 e/ 12 y 14, Vedado. (07) 833-6918

CA 5- Café Jazz MiramarJazz Club Cine Teatro Miramar. Calle 5ta Esquina a 94, Miramar.

CA 4+

El Cocinero Bar – contemporary Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado.

CA 5+ Don Cangrejo Club – contemporary fusion Avenida 1ra e/ Calles 16 & 18, Miramar.(07) 204-3837

CA 5- Espacios Bar – contemporary Calle 10, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar.

CA 5- Factoria Plaza ViejaBar – Traditional San Ignacio, esquina Muralla, Plaza Vieja, Old Havana.(07) 866-4453

CA 4+

La Floridita Bar – Traditional Obispo No. 557 esq Ave. de Bélgica (Monserrate), Old Havana

(07) 867-1299 / 867-1300

CA 5- La Fontana bar Bar – contemporary Calle 46 No. 305, esquina 3ra, Miramar (07) 202-8337

CA 5 El Gato Tuerto Bar – contemporary Calle O, e/ 17 y 19, Vedado (07) 833-2224

CA 4+ Melem Bar Bar – contemporary 1ra, e/ 58 y 60, Miramar.

CA 5-

Nacional Hotel - La TerrazaBar – Traditional Calle O, esquina 21, Vedado.

(07) 836-3564 / 873-3564

CA 4+ Privé Lounge Jazz Club / Bar Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar, Playa.(07) 209-2719

CA 5 Salon Rosado de la Tropical Concert venue Ave. 41 esq. 46, Nicanor del Campo, Marianao. (07) 203-5322

CA 4+ Sangri-La Bar – contemporary Avenida 21, e/ Calle 36 y 42, Miramar. (0) 5-264-8343

CA 5

El Sauce Live music – contempo-raryAvenida 9na #12015, e/ Calles 120 y 130, Miramar.

(07) 204-6428

CA 5- Sloppy Joe’s Bar Bar – Traditional Ánimas, esq. Zulueta, Habana Vieja.(07) 866 7157

CA 4+ Teatro Bellas Artes Live music – contem-porary Calle Trocadero e/ Agramonte & Avenida de las Misiones. Old Havana

CA 5- La Zorra y el Cuervo Jazz Club Calle 23, e/ N y O (07) 833-2402

CA 5

Miramar Cafe


Style Bar / Traditional

AmbiencePopularity Entertainment Service & drinks

Best for Immense original bar lovingly restored. Good service, History.

Worst for Not quite grimy. Too clean.

Ánimas, esq. Zulueta La Habana Vieja,

(07) 866-7157

Style Jazz Club / Bar


Best for Combines comfort, quality music, and a chill atmosphere brilliantly.

Worst for It can get loud with chattering youth and there are some seats with blocked sight lines.

Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar, Playa.

(07) 209-2719

Style Bar – contemporary


Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the Havana Farandula.

Worst for Gets extremely packed on a busy night. When is too cool not fun anymore?

Avenida 21, Entre Calle 36 y 42, Miramar. (Corner of 42)

(07) 209-2719

VIDEO Style Bar / Contemporary


Best for Fabulous setting, great service, cool vibe and tasty food. What’s not to like.

Worst for Climbing up the three flights of winding stairs.


(07) 832-2355

cabezal

El Cocinero CA TOP PICKCA 5+

Sloppy Joe’s Bar CA TOP PICKCA 4+

Privé Lounge CA TOP PICKCA 5

Sangri-La CA TOP PICKCA 5




Havana’s best MuseumsArte Corte (Papito’s) Hairdressing salon and “interactive museum”Aguiar 10 entre Peña Pobre y Monserrate, Habana Vieja

Cámara Oscura 360-degree panoramic view of Old Havana Brasil (Teniente Rey), esquina a Mercaderes, Habana Vieja

Casa OswaldoGuayasamínWork by Oswaldo Guayasamín Obrapía 111, entre Oficios y Mercaderes, Habana Vieja

Castillo de los TresReyes del MorroSymbol of Havana and most visited place North-eastern side of the harbor

Castillo de la Real Fuerza Fortress O'Reilly #1, Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja

Depósito del Automóvil49 restored vehicles from 1905 to 1989 Oficios 13 esquina a Callejón de Jústiz, Habana Vieja

Fundación Havana ClubStages of traditional rum production Avenida del Puerto 262, esq. a Sol, Habana Vieja

Maqueta de La HabanaScale model of Havana (third largest in world) 28 #113 entre 1ra y 3ra, Miramar

Museo Armería 9 de Abril Firearms and bladed weapons C18th to 20th Mercaderes 157, e/ Obra-pía y Lamparilla, Habana Vieja

Museo de la Ciudad Palacio de los Capi-tanes GeneralesCuba (Tacón) e/ Obispo y O’Reilly, Habana Vieja

Museo del Chocolate Watch chocolates being made Mercaderes esq. a Amar-gura, Habana Vieja

Museo de la Farma-cia Habanera La ReuniónHistoric, restored pharmacyBrasil (Teniente Rey) esq. a Compostela, Habana Vieja

Museo del FerrocarrilHoused in the former Cristina railway station Estación Cristina, s/n, esq. a Arroyo, Habana Vieja

Museo NapoleónicoFinest collection of Napoleonic and French Revolutionary memo-rabilia outside FranceSan Miguel #1159, e/ Ronda y Masón, Vedado

Museo de la RevoluciónRevolutionary history Refugio 1 e/ Monserrate y Zulueta, Habana Vieja

Museo Nacional de Bellas ArtesWorld-class cultural centre Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja

Museo Nacional de la DanzaObjects from Alicia Alonso’s collectionLínea y G (Avenida de los Presidentes), Vedado

Museo Nacional deArtes Decorativas Aristocratic wealth, taste and passion 17 #502 esq. a E, Vedado

Planetario Interactive cultural center Mercaderes 311 e/ Brasil (Teniente Rey) y Muralla. Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja

El Templete Commemorates the first mass held Baratillo, esq. a O’Reilly, Habana Vieja

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