Born in Barcelona, Leonardo Balada studied at the Conservatorio del Liceu there, and at the Juilliard School. His Cello Concerto No. 2, ‘New Orleans’ is a blending of negro spirituals and jazz elements with avant-garde techniques. The Concerto for four guitars and orchestra belongs to his second, avant-garde period. It makes a fascinating contrast with Balada’s fourth concerto, the 1997 Concierto Mágico (Naxos 8.555039) which, like the Cello Concerto, mixes ethnic ideas with contemporary sonorities.