A Musical Valentine

Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez wrote Bésame Mucho, her most famous song, in 1941 in the early stages of her career. The achingly romantic love song became a global phenomenon, being translated into 20-some languages and performed by hundreds of artists including The Beatles, Plácido Domingo, Diana Krall, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Linda Ronstadt.

Trumpeter Charles Lazarus and the Minnesota Orchestra offered their interpretation of the classic at the 2021 Virtual Symphony Ball in a performance that also featured Tommy Barbarella on piano and was led by Music Director Osmo Vänskä.

At the time Velázquez died in 2005, The New York Times reported Bésame Mucho had received more than two million performances on radio and television.