Mambo no. 2

When we dream, we use to have fantasies. Even musical fantasies. Despite the years, I always have two, which are periodically reproduced. In one of them, I play trombone –something I never did. In the otherone, I conduct a Mambo orchestra. I’ll do it some day.

I have played many mambos at the piano, but perhaps I have danced many more, accompanied by the already historical LPs by The Mambo King, Pérez Prado, a very talented musician. This piece is an homage to him.

I took the basic structures of his masterpieces (Mambo nº 5, Mambo nº 8, Qué rico el mambo) and I have developed on them my own musical language. My third fantasy would be that somebody will dance it.

Mambo nº N was commissioned by Juventudes Musicales de España, for its first qualifying round of its Young Interpreters European Competition, 2002.It was composed, in Singapore, during Christmas 2001, and premiered on November 8th, 2002, at the Palau de la Música Catalana, in Barcelona, by Eulalia and Ester Vela.