Carlos Fonseca

Francesco Durante was a leading composer of church music in the early eighteenth century, as well as an internationally renowned teacher in Naples. His compositional output is unique: Although he did try his hand at opera, Durante never really attempted to compete in that theatrical medium, unlike almost all of his colleagues in Naples at the time. His gift was simply not for opera, but rather for church music: He created works in all genres and styles of devotional and liturgical music. Though never prolific, Durante was concerned with quality, not quantity, which points to how well the teaching profession fit him. Because he was always dedicated to artistic concerns and remained open to new ideas, he was a much sought-after and revered maestro.

The fact that Durante never composed for the stage brought him an exaggerated reputation as a composer of sacred music. Although one of the best church composers of his style and period, he is now considered inferior to both Leonardo Leo and Alessandro Scarlatti, and seems to have founded the sentimental school of Italian church music. This type of music is characteristic of Durante as a man; intellectually uncultured, but sincerely devout. Hasse protested against Durante's being described as the greatest harmonist of Italy, a title which he ascribed to Alessandro Scarlatti.

ABUC is the 8th album by Roberto Fonseca hes released under his own name and the first to appear on the Impulse! label. Teeming with rascally rhythms and burly brass and woven from allusions, souvenirs and contrasts, ABUC is a kaleidoscope of dancing colors with which Roberto tells a story: the great and rich story of Cuban music, from yesterday to today.