Beethoven in Havana by Houghton arr. Brian Flack

At the first performance of Beethoven’s immortal 7th Symphony, the audience demanded an encore of the second movement immediately following its premiere. It’s no surprise that it is still venerated today and performed all over the world. Brian Flack’s adaptation of Joachim Horsley’s brilliant afro-Cuban piano arrangement, is proof that Beethoven’s music is so powerful, everlasting, and structurally sound, it can cross cultural and musical boundaries and be enjoyed by everyone. Adhering to the overall form of Horsley’s original arrangement, Flack has done an amazing job of orchestrating the various piano parts to mallet instruments as well as  the non-traditional percussive sounds to more traditionally Latin percussion instruments.