Cuban piano virtuoso José María Vitier presented a new album 'XXI Bienaventuranzas’ in Havana. He was accompanied by flutist Niurka González.

Vitier said he conceived this new production while in self-isolation at home during the worst peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Cuba.

Released under Unicornio label of Producciones Abdala, the album includes 21 tunes for piano and flute. According to the album liner notes, each piece invites to find beauty, especially at a time marked by physical distancing, uncertainty.

At a press conference Wednesday, Vitier said each piece conveys a message of hope and optimism in times of crisis, convinced that better times lie ahead.

Vitier further said that this new musical production is dedicated to Cuban scientists. He wrote on the album cover: ‘Thanks to our scientists for the Cuban vaccines and for bringing us hope and beauty.’

Flutist Niurka González termed the experience as ‘exceptional’, and thanked Vitier for the opportunity.

Young talented pianist Malva Rodríguez González and flutist José Lázaro Álvarez also collaborate in this project.

The album is accompanied by an audiovisual, a documentary film by Lester Hamlet that features the rehearsal and recording sessions, as well as interviews with Vitier, González and other participants in the project.

'XXI Bienaventuranzas’ will be officially presented to the public during a concert on February 27th at Teatro Martí in Old Havana.

Guest artists during the concert include soprano Bárbara Llanes, other Cuban instrumentalists, particularly drummers and bassists and the Havana Chamber Orchestra.