Daniil Trifonov - Mi Historia Americana - Sur

Daniil Trifonov — Mi Historia Americana — Sur

180-gram triple LP set

Pianist delves into South American and Caribbean repertoires

"Latin American music has distinctive qualities: inspirations from nature, traditional dances and songs, and evocations of faith." — Daniil Trifonov

Daniil Trifonov's My American Story — North came out in 2024 to widespread critical acclaim. In this second volume of his musical journey across the Americas, Mi Historia Americana — Sur (My American Story — South), the pianist shares a wide-ranging selection of his Latin American and Caribbean musical discoveries. Through both solo and orchestral works, Trifonov's travels take him from Cuba and the Dominican Republic to Brazil, Peru and Argentina.

In many senses, this album is his most personal to date, given the close links he has forged with the region — largely through his marriage to fellow pianist Judith Ramírez, who was born in the Dominican Republic. "Like Latin America itself," says Trifonov, "the repertoire is vast and full of variety. There are many pieces that are popular in the region yet unfamiliar in other parts of the world. I wanted to present a picture of the musical richness this literature has to offer."

The two orchestral works on the album (Aquarela do Brasil and Cuadros del Sur) were recorded in February 2026 in São Paulo, while Trifonov was in Brazil for concerts featuring this repertoire. He was joined by members of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) and Venezuelan multi-instrumentalist/arranger/musical director Gonzalo Grau. The concerts were filmed by Deutsche Grammophon, with a STAGE+ premiere planned for a future date.

Mi Historia Americana — Sur opens with Gonzalo Grau's arrangement of Ary Barroso's hugely popular song "Aquarela do Brasil." Grau also created Cuadros del Sur ("Pictures of the South") specifically for this Trifonov project, a co-commission by OSESP, Deutsche Grammophon, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Aspen Music Festival. The music is drawn from Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov's choral-orchestral work "La Pasión según" San Marcos, with formal inspiration provided by Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" — Grau alternates some of the most varied sections of Golijov's Pasión with a recurring "promenade" theme. Trifonov and the orchestra gave the world premiere performance in February, and present the first recording here. OSESP also becomes the first Brazilian orchestra ever to appear on a DG recording.

Brazil is further represented by Villa-Lobos's Bachianas "brasileiras No. 4" and gems by Mozart Camargo Guarnieri and Oscar Lorenzo Fernández. Meanwhile, from Argentina we also hear music by Ginastera ("Milonga" and "Second Piano Sonata") as well as a tango, not from Buenos Aires but composed by Trifonov himself.

Much of the inspiration for this album came to the pianist during an extended stay in his wife's homeland. "My family and I were isolated for months in the Dominican Republic during the Covid pandemic," he recalls. "It was during that lockdown period that I finally found time to discover a wealth of outstanding Latin American piano music."

LP 1 Side A

1. Aquarela do Brasil (Arr. Grau for Piano, Percussion & Orchestra)

2. I. Promenade 1

3. II. Candomblé

4. III. Promenade 2

5. IV. Lejanía

6. V. Promenade 3

7. VI. La fé

8. VII. Promenade 4

LP 1 Side B

1. VIII. Caribe

2. IX. Promenade 5

3. X. Yoruba

4. XI. Fuelle - Respiros

5. XII. Sudor y Costa

6. XIII. Promenade 6

7. XIV. Calles

8. XV. Gran Promenade Final

LP 2 Side A

1. I. Allegro Aymara

2. II. Himno Inca

3. III. Adagio Illariy

4. IV. Finale Saqsampillo

LP 2 Side B

1. I. Allegramente

2. II. Adagio sereno - Scorrevole - Ripresa dell'Adagio

3. III. Ostinato Aymara

4. Sambumbia No. 1, 'Rapsodia Dominicana'

LP 3 Side A

1. El vals de Santo Domingo

2. Valsa da dor

3. Milonga, Op. 3/1

4. Tango

5. Estudio en Samba

6. Dança negra

LP 3 Side B

1. I. Prelúdio. Introdução

2. II. Coral. Canto do Sertão

3. III. Ária. Cantiga

4. IV. Dansa. Miudinho

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