Mozart in Havana (CD)

2017 release. Recorded in Cuba, acclaimed pianist Simone Dinnerstein's album, Mozart in Havana, may be her most ambitious to date and is a testament to music's ability to cross all cultural and language barriers. For the album, Dinnerstein collaborated with the virtuosic Havana Lyceum Orchestra to perform Mozart's Piano Concerto Nos. 21 and 23. Mozart in Havana is a return to Dinnerstein's origins as a musician. Her connection with Cuba started early with Solomon Mikowsky, a Cuban émigré who became her piano teacher when she was nine. Mikowsky would tell stories of his childhood in Cuba and the country's many musical influences. When he inaugurated the Encuentro de Jóvenes Pianistas (Meeting of Young Pianists) festival in Havana in 2013, he invited Dinnerstein to play. quot;Of course accepted without hesitation,quot; said Dinnerstein. Returning to the festival in 2015, she played for the first time with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and was deeply impressed. Within a year she had returned to Havana to record with the Orchestra what would become Mozart in Havana. The recording was done over three long, sleepless nights using donated strings and recording equipment brought in by Grammy winning producer Adam Abeshouse.