Pablo Amoros - 12 Boston Waltzes by Clifton Worsley (2023)

Pere Astort i Ribas, composer better known as Clifton Worsley, was one of the most famous musicians in Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century. He is considered to have been a pioneer of jazz in Catalonia and a musical visionary who knew how to predict fashion trends in the most sophisticated dance halls during the first third of the 20th century. He triumphed in Europe and the United States with his compositions, inspired by popular music from the other side of the Atlantic. He was born on September 24, 1873 and died on March 13, 1925 in Barcelona but his birthplace is unclear as it is debated between Barcelona and Girona. He trained at the Basilica de la Mercè school in Barcelona and studied piano with maestro Llorenç Bau. He adopted the nickname Clifton Worsley on the advice of Charles Dalton, an American musician, who one day walked into the store where he worked while he was playing a waltz he composed on the piano. Dalton was amazed and told him that he sounded like the waltzes of his city: Boston, recommending that he change the name to something that sounded more American. In 1899, Astort, or C. Worsley as he was now known, published his first "Boston Waltz," with the editor who owned the shop. By 1912 he had already published more than 40 compositions of this type, in addition to other equally popular dances. Among his Boston Waltzes, notable for their success are: "Beloved", "Charmant", "Vision", "Royal-Waltz", "Tout Amour", "The Skaters", "Fascinating Waltz", "Vertige" and "Good- Bye". We must close this list with the following compositions, belonging to the same genre in which Astort distinguished himself so much: "Mourant d'Amour", "Boudeuse", "D'etoile en etoile", "Glissante", "L 'amour ne meurt jamais', 'Flirtation', 'Amoureusement', 'Aveu d'amour', 'Valse dorèe', 'Je vous en prie', 'Presentiment', 'Ma foi tant pis', 'Veilles Amours', "Langourense", "Full of tears" and "Encore je t'aime". In addition to waltzes, he composed zarzuelas such as "Emma" (1916), renamed shortly after as "El Vals de los libros" (1917) or "Palabra de king!" (1917). Most of these productions were in the repertoire, duly adapted, of the best orchestras in the world. After his death in 1925, Astort fell into oblivion. And his works languished after the arrival of radio , couplets and other rhythms. After the Spanish Civil War, Clifton Worsley's name only appeared in some texts on music. In 2022, producer Miguel Ángel Sánchez proposed to pianist Pablo Amorós the making of this recording that includes the first 12 Boston Waltzes composed by Clifton Worsley between 1899 and 1906. This recording was made at the Infinity Studios in Madrid, in April 2023 and It constitutes the first album dedicated to the work of Clifton Worsley ever released.