The pianist arrives at the Teatro Colón with a new challenge. In “Cinema at the Piano,” he will explore the relationship between classical music and film, presenting a repertoire from different eras. From a masterpiece by Bach to his adaptation of the music from Star Wars, it will be an opportunity to enjoy the intersection of artistic disciplines.

March 8, 2026
By Claudia Roldós

Argentine pianist Horacio Lavandera will return to Mar del Plata on April 3rd with “Cinema at the Piano.” After years of research into composers, works, eras, and films, he presents this unique repertoire, connected to his great passion: linking different artistic and aesthetic languages.

During the Easter holidays, the renowned musician will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. at the Teatro Colón in Mar del Plata with this program that includes works by Bach and Chopin—the furthest removed in time—as well as pieces by Piazzolla, John Williams, and the contemporary Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov.

In the first part of the concert, Lavandera will perform, among other works, Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and the celebrated Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), one of the most emblematic compositions in the piano repertoire, central to the history of Baroque music and frequently featured in films.

The second half will include works by Chopin—Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, and the Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22. Ballade No. 1 is featured in one of the most memorable scenes from “The Pianist,” directed by Roman Polanski.

The program is rounded out with film music adaptations, including a version of the Star Wars suite composed by John Williams and originally conceived for orchestra. Works by Golijov—who collaborated with director Francis Ford Coppola on the film “Youth Without Youth”—and pieces by Piazzolla such as “Oblivion” and the “Punta del Este Suite,” the latter popularized in the film “12 Monkeys,” starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, will also be performed.

Before this concert, Lavandera gave details of the program, the process of adapting film music to the piano, his interest in establishing cross-sections between different artistic expressions, the joy he always feels returning to Mar del Plata, and the mix of passion and discipline that govern his artistic life.

“I am very happy to return with this proposal to Mar del Plata, a city that has so much history with cinema and making Piazzolla’s music that has been used in film,” Lavandera highlighted in a chat with LA CAPITAL, in which he acknowledged that the program he will offer is “very different” from those he has developed in other presentations in the city.

-The concert features composers from very different eras, with cinema as the common thread. Did the images associated with that music influence your interpretation of the works?

-That’s a delicate question, because I’m making decisions on many levels; it’s like a study of perception. How much can an image that has nothing to do with the conception of the piece have an impact? Like the case of so many films that use classical music, but are completely removed in time from the emotions the composer felt when composing them. Today, in the 21st century, many of those pieces are more famous for having been used in films than for the composer’s original vision. For example, the film “The Pianist”—everyone at the concert knows it by heart. So, it’s about approaching these works by Chopin, and I don’t need to recount the film, but I can talk about Chopin’s own origins and what we know from his documents. I think that can enrich a two-pronged perspective. One perspective is popular, familiar to everyone through the film, and the other relates to the composer’s historical context. This perspective may or may not align with the filmmakers’ choices, which is very interesting.

-It also seems to be a meeting point for different audiences: classical music listeners and those who recognize these works through film.

-Yes, it’s a convergence of different artistic expressions. Film, visual arts, literature, poetry… when combined with music, they can forge new connections with the audience and with emotions. I think that’s what this concert is about. It’s still my concert, a piano concert, featuring masterpieces from the Baroque era to very contemporary composers like Golijov. So it’s about seeing how all of that connects. We’re talking about music that’s over 300 years old, but which is very popular thanks to the film industry.

From 90 Musicians to 10 Fingers

-The program includes a piano adaptation of the music from “Star Wars.” What was that process like?

-I’ve been studying “Star Wars” for over four years. And I decided to play it this year after very thorough preparation. I had to adapt an orchestral score involving more than 90 musicians and figure out how to translate all of that to a solo piano. It took a lot of time. There are many rhythms combined, along with a very complex polyrhythm that emerges when playing it solo. It’s like translating 90 musicians to 10 fingers. It took a lot of time and artistic decisions, and now I’ve finally taken the plunge. After the premiere in Buenos Aires, I’m very happy with the result and have high hopes of bringing this program to Mar del Plata.

In the first part of the concert, you also perform Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” which are very difficult.

-Yes, it’s the first time I’ve played them. It’s one of the masterpieces of piano music. It’s like climbing Mount Everest for pianists. And I’m very happy to connect it with this program, because this music is used in many hugely successful films.

-Throughout your career you’ve always sought to create intersections between different languages: classical music, rock, Nenette’s contribution to folklore, chamamé, science. Are you interested in this way of building bridges?

-It seems to be something very natural for me. I’m always looking at all the networks that can be built from music that has as much relevance as classical music. I think it’s all about how the emotions of classical music can be present in its union with other expressions. For example, the case of Nenette—Margarita Durán—who contributed an enormous number of elements to Argentine folklore through her relationship with Atahualpa Yupanqui. My task with that project was to highlight that.

-Besides performing, you also studied conducting and composition. Does that influence your approach to the repertoire?

-Yes, for me it has always been natural to compose while I perform. I compose my own music daily. Sometimes it has more or less reference to what I’m performing, sometimes it’s like a game. If you study the lives of composers, many of them also copied the style of others to develop their own. For example, I’m going to open the concert with a piece by Bach that he composed as a self-taught musician, because he was learning from Italian composers. Just as I transcribed all the music from “Star Wars” for solo piano, Bach also transcribed Italian piano concertos to study them.

Between the search and the attraction of risk

-Everything you study, beyond the hours of practice and technique, adds up to sensitivity, to the content, to generating your own imprint, your own identity in each piece, right?

-Yes, that’s what it’s about, a very deep study of style. Every composer has their own language and has left behind documents that explain it, some clearer, others more ambiguous. It is within this ambiguity that the performer’s identity comes into play. There, one makes decisions, takes risks in certain passages, chooses certain paths. One hundred top-level pianists can play the same work, and every performance will be different. And that is wonderful.

“Do you like taking risks?”

“For me, it’s essential. This program, for example, was completely new. At the premiere, I was very nervous, as I always am when I present something for the first time. I know a great pianist who says that if you’re not nervous before a concert, it means it’s not going to be good. I completely agree. That feeling of risk, of encountering something unknown, a musical language you haven’t used before, I find very stimulating.”

“You started studying piano at a very young age. Do you remember the moment when music stopped being a game and became your vocation?”

“It’s hard to say, because I started very young with my great-aunt, who was very demanding. There was closeness, but also responsibility. I never saw it as pressure. I was always the one who set goals and worked to achieve them. I was also lucky to have the support of my family. That’s something I value immensely, because I know there are many artists who didn’t have that support. That allowed me to dedicate a lot of time and discipline to it.”

“I started studying piano very young. Do you remember the moment when music stopped being a game and became your vocation?” “Sometimes people talk about talent as a gift, a muse. That’s not your case…”

“I don’t believe in that at all. I’ve always been more interested in the intellectual side of musical work. Inspiration exists, of course, and the spiritual is also part of art. But discipline is what gives shape to all of that.”

La Capital