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TRACKS 1. Echú Alejandro Cardona 2. Telegramas Alejandro Cardona 3. Profecía Alejandro Cardona 4.Usted Gabriel Ruiz 5. Vayamos al Diablo Astor Piazzolla 6. The Day After Miguel del Aguila 7. Lo que Vendrá Astor Piazzolla 8. Dan-Són Enrico Chapela 9. Jog-Alap Sidartha Siliceo-Alvaro Bitrán 10. Ciudades Oscuras Eduardo Gamboa 11. Mountain Song Nawang Kechog-Alvaro Bitrán 12. Digital Gabriela Ortiz 13. El Tiempo y el Olvido Cesar Olguín Álvaro Bitrán Álvaro Bitrán was born in Chile of a family of distinguished musicians. He started playing the cello at the age of seven and concluded his formal studies at Indiana University under the guidance of world renowned cellist Janos Starker. In 1982 he founded the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, a string quartet that now enjoys world-wide recognition. In addition to frequent tours of both North and South America, the quartet also tours Europe, Israel and New Zealand. Recent performances have included New York's Carnegie Hall, Washington's Kennedy Center and Milan's Teatro Alla Scala. His recordings (more than 50 in all) have appeared in various labels such as Dorian, New Albion and Urtext and have received several prizes, including two Grammy Nominations in 2001: Best Chamber Music Performance and Best Classical CD at the Latin Grammys. Álvaro Bitrán is regularly invited to play as soloist with some of the major orchestras in our continent: Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina and Venezue- la symphony orchestras, Dallas Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle and San Antonio Symphony in the U.S. and Ottawa's National Arts Center Orchestra in Canada, among others. Álvaro Bitrán is firmly committed to the creation of new music for his instrument and has premiered and recorded many new works dedi- cated to him. He has recently released two cello and piano CD's featuring new mu- sic by Latin American composers, as well as traditional repertoire. He has devoted much of his energy to teaching and is responsible for the development of an entire generation of cellists in Mexico. Currently he is a faculty member at the National Arts Center in Mexico City, at the UANL in Monterrey and at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University. He offers seminars and master classes in many universities in the US and México and plays in a cello built by Martin Stoss, in 1817, in Vienna. Mi Chelada This project was born in the attic of my house in The Woodlands, Texas in 2004. On those lonely Texan nights, with my son Daniel controlling the recording sessions and playing percussion and myself at the cello, we discovered the great pleasure of mixing strings, microphones and mallets ... years later, while living in Monterrey, that experiment materialized in this disk. In this musical adventure many different sounds converge, as well as many external and internal characters, all born in a delirious year, marked by strong personal life experiences. How could I explain such a diverse combination of musical works, united only by the sound of the cello? Perhaps as a self-portrait, using as a brush only the music that surrounds me at this moment in my life? Or maybe as a 'divertimento', a project -heterogeneous in appearance brought together solely by the fine thread of pleasure? Or perhaps as my birthday present a wink of an eye to my half-century of 'residence on Earth'? In any case, a small sign, my minimal contribution with what I do best, to this violent world that surrounds me. This unique experience of recording so many voices with my cello led me to explore my inner voice in search of the sound and character that each part required: a classic Mexican bolero, a Hindu raga with sitar, a tango with bandoneon by Piazzolla, a duet with Tibetan flute, a Dan-Son with tropical percussions, a blues for six cellos, and many other sound universes. In this musical journey, I lived with many of the characters who share my world as an interpreter. Nevertheless, my goal has been to disap- pear in order to let the music speak, leaving, however, a minimal personal mark along the way: the texture of the sound, the tempo of a sigh, a slight trace of the soul. This musical adventure led me to put forth all the traditional and con- temporary virtuosity of cello playing in works as complex as Echú and Digital, while at the same being thrown into the fascinating world of improvisation in Raga Jop and Mountain Song. An additional challenge was the synchronization of all voices, reaching it's extreme with nine cellos in Dan-Son. The challenge was not only the rhythmic coordination, but also and above all, the unity of musical intention, in order to make the music flow in the atmosphere of freedom in which it loves to dwell. Finally I must thank the dear friends who have enriched this recording with their talent: Gabriela Ortiz, Cesar Olguín, SidarthaSiliceo, Nawang Kechog, Ricardo Gallardo, Alfredo Bringas. Alejandro Cardona, Miguel del Aguila, EnricoChapela, Javier Alvarez, Javier Montiel, and Enrique Mendoza. And of course to my dear daughter Alina, whose solar presence has illuminated my life and my dear son Daniel, without whom this recording would not exist. In addition to collaborating with his musical talent and his impressive technical knowledge, Daniel has been my partner and accomplice in this whole project. This album is dedicated to Marielena Arizpe, my muse, wife and partner, with whom I have had the privilege of sharing this life journey. Credits: Alvaro Bitran: Violoncello, Liner Notes, Executive Producer, Arranger Daniel Bitran Arizpe: Engineer, Producer, Percussion Nawang Khechog: Flute Sidarta Siliceo: Sitar Cesar Olguín: Bandoneon, Arranger Bogdan Zawitowski: Mastering Javier Alvares: Arranger, Cadence Ricardo Gallardo, Alfredo Bringas: Percussion Album ID: W 170720.