0223 Mar del PLata. Horacio Lavandera: “I’m driven by curiosity”
Horacio Lavandera: “I’m driven by curiosity”
April 1, 2026
Horacio Lavandera returns to Mar del Plata with a show for his regular audience, but especially for film lovers. This Friday, the pianist will arrive at the Teatro Colón to transform the piano into a bridge between two worlds: classical music and cinema, in “Cinema at the Piano.”
In the lead-up to the concert, the pianist spoke with 0223 and explained that this time the idea is for the audience to experience a range of emotions through music. “The pieces have been specially chosen,” he revealed, adding that the concert is divided into two parts. The first covers the world of Johann Sebastian Bach, John Williams, and Frédéric Chopin, and the second part includes, among other surprises, a piano adaptation of the iconic Star Wars Suite and concludes with innovative works by Astor Piazzolla and Osvaldo Golijov.
“There are themes from The Pianist, Fifty Shades of Grey, Spielberg films, and the Star Wars adaptation, which was a huge undertaking because the work of 90 musicians was transferred to my ten fingers,” says Horacio Lavandera on the other end of the phone, adding that this project “is a challenge.”
“I have that curiosity and the need to always be reinventing myself. I work with enormous humility and am always looking for ways to connect with new audiences,” he says, explaining that at this stage of his career he is “focused on discovering new genres.”
The Show
The first part of the concert immerses the audience in the world of Bach, whose masterpieces, such as the Chromatic Fantasy and the Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), reveal the extraordinary harmonic richness and structural brilliance that characterize the German composer. The Goldberg Variations are not only one of the most important compositions of Baroque music, but they were also popularized in film in The English Patient, where their powerful piano performance marks key moments in the film’s narrative. Bach’s music here invites us to experience the complexity and beauty of the Baroque, fertile ground for the deepest emotions.
In the second part, the piano becomes a vehicle for more contemporary expression. Frédéric Chopin, with his Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, and the Andante spianato and Grand Polonaise, Op. 22, takes us on an emotional journey full of contrasts, from intensity and melancholy to lyricism and overwhelming virtuosity. Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 was used in Roman Polanski’s famous film The Pianist, where its intensity and emotional depth accompany the protagonist’s struggle, making it one of the most representative pieces of contemporary cinema.
The program culminates with a tribute to film music, featuring a piano adaptation of John Williams’ iconic Star Wars Suite, a musical journey to a galaxy far, far away. The energy and grandeur of the film compositions merge with the magic of the piano performance, paving the way for the contemporary work of Osvaldo Golijov, who collaborated with legendary director Francis Ford Coppola on Youth without Youth. Golijov’s music, with its emotional power and contemporary texture, is presented in two powerful pieces: Youth without Youth and Levante, immersing us in soundscapes brimming with emotion and modernity.
