In conjunction with the current exhibition “Kahlo: An Expanded Body,” pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner will perform a program of music largely comprising Mexican composers, and informed by and paying homage to the life, loves, and art of Frida Kahlo on Friday, February 10, from 6 to 7 PM, at the Parrish Art Museum. The program includes works by Jesús González Rubio, Pepe Guízar, Manuel Ponce, and Carlos Chávez — a close friend of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo — as well as compositions inspired by Mexican and Spanish culture by Leonard Bernstein and Claude Debussy.
The concert begins with a historic protest dance of Mexican revolutionaries during their War of Independence against the Spanish Empire that evolved into a popular folk melody: the Mexican Hat Dance (Jarabe Tapatío). Following are works by Chávez, one of Mexico’s most prominent composers, including Preludios Aztecas — referencing his interest in the indigenous themes and raw elements that also inspired Kahlo.
Part two parallels Kahlo’s travels — to New York, with Leonard Bernstein’s Mambo, based on the Mexican/Cuban dance; and Paris, with a piece by Claude Debussy inspired by Granada, Spain — and acknowledges Kahlo’s relationship with the Russian exile Leon Trotsky with Sergei Prokofiev’s Scherzo from Sonata No. 2.
Part three brings the focus back to Mexico, just as Kahlo returned from her travels abroad, beginning with the 1940 classic pop song Besame Muchoby composer/pianist Consuelo Velázquez.
Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner holds multiple degrees from Juilliard and Yale, and was named a Gilmore Young Artist, an honor awarded to the most promising American pianists. He has performed at the White House and Kennedy Center for Presidents Obama and Biden, and has been featured on NPR, PBS, CNN International, the Wall Street Journal, and WDR-Arte. Sanchez-Werner’s recent international performances include The Royal Concertgebouw in the Netherlands, CultureSummit Abu Dhabi, the Louvre and Grenoble Museums in France, among other prominent venues.
Advance ticket purchase with pre-event registration is recommended. Limited tickets will be available at the door. Tickets are $25 for Museum Members, $35 for adults (nonmembers), $20 for students, and $10 for children.