Cuban Guitarist Laura Mazon Franqui Turns Memory Into Music on Rojo
Memory sits at the heart of Laura Mazon Franqui’s new album Rojo. The Cuban classical guitarist has announced the recording for release on May 29, 2026, through Prima Classic, framing the project as a musical autobiography built around works that have shaped and accompanied her personal and artistic journey.
The album draws from a wide repertoire of Hispanic and Latin American classical guitar music. Composers represented on the recording include Francisco Tárrega, Leo Brouwer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Joaquín Turina, Jorge Morel, Carlos Rafael Rivera, and Grammy Award-winning composer Claudia Montero. Through these works, Franqui explores themes of heritage, identity, transformation, grief, and resilience.
Among the featured works is Canción by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera. Rivera praised Franqui’s interpretation, saying she captures the intimacy of the “found” melody beautifully and gives the work a performance that is “both nostalgic and luminous.” His words underline the album’s emphasis on emotional storytelling.
Rojo also honors Claudia Montero, a mentor and dear friend to Franqui whose encouragement helped restore the guitarist’s confidence during the pandemic. With its title meaning “red” in Spanish, the album becomes a symbol of passion, strength, love, and remembrance, carrying forward both personal history and Latin American musical tradition.