For this week’s new release, we visit Cuba for a Latin twist on some holiday favorites. It comes from British horn player Sarah Willis, who in 2001 became the first woman to join the brass section of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Since then, she’s become one of the public faces of the orchestra, presenting concerts and hosting her own interview series, Horn Hangouts.
This new album is the latest release in a project that began in 2017, when Willis visited Cuba for the first time. This gave rise to her Mozart y Mambo series, which paired Mozart’s horn concertos with Cuban dances, accompanied by a talented student orchestra from Havana. In 2024, Willis returned to Cuba and formed The Sarahbanda, her own ensemble of Cuban musicians that blurs the lines between classical and Latin music. And for their second album, they’re celebrating Christmas.
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The album includes a unique take on a Christmastime staple, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, performed in a distinctive Cuban style:
We also get the group’s take on a few holiday favorites, like “Jingle Bells,” “White Christmas” and “Silent Night.” That last one features a lyrical horn solo from Willis herself:
On three tracks, the Sarahbanda is joined by Carlos Calunga, one of the singers from the legendary Buena Vista Social Club, who lends his distinctive voice to “Feliz Navidad,” “The Christmas Song” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”:
Cuban Christmas is out now on the Deutsche Gramophon label.
