※The following is a commentary by the composer himself.

I first visited Cuba in 1983 and was immediately captivated by its music and percussion instruments. Since then, I have traveled to the country about ten times, becoming a captive of Cuban music as if infected by an incurable virus!! Through learning about Cuban music, meeting friends, and eventually recording a CD, I developed various emotions towards the people, their lives, and the situation of the country.

“Cuban Mosaic” is a work that gathers just three small mosaic stones from Cuban life and translates them into sound as I felt them.

1. Suenos (Dreams)

Please imagine an old man sitting in a rocking chair on a balcony, melancholically reflecting on his life. He is lost in memories of dreams fulfilled and unfulfilled, loves realized and unrealized…

2. Negrito (Little Black Boy)

Cuba is a very hot and humid country. Therefore, life there is accompanied by passivity and a certain kind of suffering. A small boy plays with stones he picked up from a gravel road. For this little black boy in worn-out shorts, the word 'time' holds no meaning yet; he is simply absorbed in playing with stones...

3. Nostalgia (Nostalgia)

Many colonial-era buildings (Spanish cultural heritage) remain in Cuba, and I love such buildings. I composed this piece by imagining scenes from that time: well-dressed wealthy people passing through the streets in horse-drawn carriages, holding parasols...