Cecilia Duarte – Reencuentros (Reference Recordings, 2022)
“Reencuentros” (Re-encounters) is a significant album of traditional and popular songs by much-admired classical mezzo-soprano vocalist Cecilia Duarte. She uses her gifted voice to beautifully recreate beloved standards by Chabuca Granda, Violeta Parra and other iconic songwriters from Hispanic America and Brazil.
The material on “Reencuentros” includes tastefully arranged melancholic boleros, folk songs and love ballads performed with an acoustic ensemble that uses traditional Mexican and Spanish musical instruments performed by Trio Chapultepec as well as percussion from various parts of the Americas.
Cecilia Duarte says about Reencuentros: “This album is a reencounter with my past, a remembrance of the moments when I listened to my mother sing many of the songs compiled here, and a reflection of who I am as an artist today… Reencuentros represents where I come from and the stories that formed me. It is important for me to share this legacy of beautiful music, only a small token of the artistic richness of Latin American music.”
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Cecilia is a multitalented singer that has performed around the globe, singing a diversity of music styles, with an emphasis on early and contemporary music.
Cecilia has been highly praised for creating the role of Renata in the first mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with the well-known Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in 2010. Cecilia has taken this opera to many stages around the world. She recently reenacted the role of Renata with Houston Grand Opera in December 2022 in the opera El Milagro del Recuerdo, along with musicians who also perform on “Reencuentros.”
Lineup: Cecilia Duarte on vocals; Trio Chapultepec (Vincent A. Pequeño on requinto and vocals; Israel Alcalá on vihuela, vocals, and guitar; and William Carlton Galvez on guitarrón, vocals and guitar); Jesús Pacheco on cajón congas, bongos, bombo legüero, and guiro; Marcos Varela on double bass; and Jonathan Godfrey on violin.
Buy Reencuentros or Cruzar la Cara de la Luna
More about Cecilia Duarte.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.