Playing Castro's Tune

Musicians performing in Trinidad, Cuba

Just over fifty years ago General Batista's regime in Cuba was overthrown by Fidel Castro's rebel army.

In the second programme in this series, Stephen Evans continues his look at how Cuban music and musicians were affected by the revolution.

Part two

Stephen travels to both sides of the Florida Straits.

Musicians who remained in Cuba talk about the educational reforms which put music high on the agenda.

On the other side - exiled Cubans like American based trumpeter Artur Sandoval, who trained as a classical musician in Havana, talk about the lack of artistic freedom they experienced under the communist regime.

And whilst Artur is vehemently anti Castro, Stephen finds Pablo Menendez, an American born Cuban who has lived in Cuba for 40 years.

Now one of Cuba's leading musicians, Menendez believes that musicians in his adopted country are amongst the freest in the world.

Stephen also looks at the impact of the Soviet Union's withdrawal of financial support to Cuba in 1989.

When the economy crumbled, Castro was forced into making what he called a pact with the devil.

He turned to tourism as a means of getting hard currency into the country. And to attract the tourists, he turned to music.

Stephen explores whether this pact with Castro's devil has stagnated the country's music or saved it.

Please note, due to copyright restrictions, a download of this documentary is unavailable.