Mozart y Mambo

It’s a daring musician who pairs Mozart with Cuban popular dance music. However, Berlin Philharmonic horn player Sarah Willis is an extraordinary artist, and in her hands—aided by a crack team of Cuban musicians (including a whole cohort of horn players)—this unlikely meeting of musical cultures feels entirely right, and it’s great fun. On its own, Willis’ Mozart, including the Horn Concerto No. 3, is wonderful, but then add in delightful nods to Cuban rhythms, such as in the zingy cadenza in the Rondo K. 371, plus brilliant musical fusions like “Sarahnade mambo,” based on Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.” Beautiful Cuban classics “Dos gardenias” and “El manisero” give Willis a chance to wind down in the company of some of Havana’s finest.