The prodigious Dominican violinist Aisha Syed Castro launches her fifth studio production this February 11 entitled “Heritage” on a digital and physical level under the prestigious record label Divine Art Record.
Traveling around the world, Aisha inspires with her perfect melodies in this new album of 15 songs that from today will be presented on different social platforms and in stores around the world.
The music of this recording does not demand a detailed or technical exegesis or essay: each piece speaks for itself and is not so much representative of the work of each composer (although in some cases it is true), but of the ‘Heritage’ announced by the title of the album: Heritage of Latin culture throughout South America, Central and the Caribbean, and its original source: Spain.
That heritage, which has also colored much of the popular music of the United States, brings a music of bright, lively and exotic texture, full of dances, especially tango, born in the bars of Buenos Aires of Spanish and Cuban ancestors.
As a native of the Caribbean, Aisha Syed Castro is totally comfortable with this music, and has also included here pieces that have a special personal meaning for her.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) is perhaps the best example after Gershwin, whose genius extended equally to popular and “art music” genres. In particular, West Side Story is a Broadway musical or opera of popular style but also full of dance. For this collection, three issues have been chosen, which reflect the exploration in this work of the mixture (and clash) of Latin American and Anglo-American cultures, a story of love and division between New Yorkers and Puerto Ricans.
Like the violinist, the composer Rafael Solano (or Rafael Solano Sánchez, b. 1931), is Dominican. Previously he was Dominican ambassador to UNESCO and is active as a pianist, singer-songwriter, composer and author; He has composed more than 100 songs in various genres. His most famous song, “Por amor”, has been recorded by artists such as opera tenor Plácido Domingo. For this album maestro Solano has created a special arrangement of his masterpiece “Una Primavera para el Mundo”, a song he created together with René del Risco, who composed the lyrics.
Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) is credited with taking sensual and rather unhealthy tango out of the city’s bars and transforming it into a genuinely distinctive form of artistic music, often referred to as “nuevo tango”.
He composed Oblivion in 1982 and appeared in the 1984 Italian film “Enrico IV”. , in this superb interpretation of Aisha, perfectly.
A piece here stands out for not being of Spanish or Latin origin, but from the ballet Gayaneh by the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978), among others.
One of the most successful events in Aisha’s life is that she is the first Latin American in history to be accepted into the Yehudi Menuhin School in London, England.
She was placed by BBC Radio 3 in London, Great Britain on the prestigious classical music list “Miraculous Performances” for her live performance of N. Paganini’s La Campanella and appointed as her country’s Honorary Cultural Goodwill Ambassador.
Among the awards received are the Henry Wood Trust Award in London, the Sphinx MPower Award and the Latin Pride National Award in the United States and seven statuettes as a classical artist abroad. In addition to a recognition of the New York Senate.
In addition, he has played as a soloist at notable festivals such as the Abu Dhabi Music Festival, the Banstead Arts festival and the Leamington Hastings festival, the Yehudi Menuhin International Music Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland, at the Fontainebleu Summer Music Festival in Fontainebleu, France.
The violins that Aisha plays are an Antonio Pelizon of the eighteenth century and an Antonius Stradivarius of the year 1686 kindly provided by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins London.
On February 24 at 7pm, Aisha will be performing at the Kennedy Center. She will play her violin and her partner, Martin Labazevitch will play the piano. Together as a duo they will give a presentation that will delight all viewers.
Aisha, is a great believer and as a Christian dedicates all her hits and concerts to Christ.
About the artist:
Aisha debuted at the age of 11 as a soloist accompanied by the Dominican National Symphony Orchestra performing Max Bruch’s concerto in G minor for violin and orchestra.
The violinist is a graduate of the Royal College of Music in London where she was awarded the full Soirée d’Or scholarship belonging to the British royalty. He also received a full scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
He has played in different stages as a soloist around the world including carnegie hall in New York, the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Teatro Mayor in Bogotá, the Auditorio Nacional in Uruguay, among many more.
She was also invested by the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo as Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Arts and chairs the “Music for Life” foundation which seeks to bring classical music to those who, due to social, economic and health situations, cannot access it.
The violinist has been praised by the specialized international press in Germany, Lithuania, the United States, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Los Angeles, Florida and the United Arab Emirates, among many other countries. Each of these global media have highlighted his talent and prodigy when it comes to playing his violin.
Currently together with Maestro Gustavo Dudamel she is an Ambassador of LEALA, an organization founded to promote Latin American cultural values and the language of Spanish in the United States.
For this year he will perform in Argentina conducted by Maestro Luis Gorelik, he will also perform a recital in Chicago, returns to China for a concert and give master classes, will debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador interpreting the Tchaikovsky concert, will have a recital in Miami among many other destinations to which he will return.
In 2023 Aisha will be seen debuting in Montevideo with the accompaniment of the National Symphony Orchestra of Uruguay conducted by Swiss Maestro Stefan Lano.