Always restless, he has just returned from a tour in the United States where he performed Gershwin’s jazz and a folk piece by Dino Saluzzi. “I am driven by emotions, by what impacts me as a musician,” he says,

Clarín. November 3, 2024

TEXT BY MARCELO FERNÁNDEZ BITAR PHOTOS BY MARIANA NEDELC

The hands of talent. They combine superb interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Mendelssohn with an unprejudiced exploration of the most popular musical genres.

 

Just as there are rock bands that only play their greatest hits, there are classical pianists who rarely vary their repertoire in concerts. Horacio Lavandera is one of the few exceptions, and as he approaches 40, he continues to find new musical challenges.

 

Last year, for example, he opened the National Folklore Festival of Cosquín alongside Jairo and guitarist Juan Falú, performing songs like “Luna tucumana” and “Tonada de un viejo amor.”

 

Even more surprising were the videos he uploaded to his YouTube channel during the pandemic, featuring versions of songs by Queen, Coldplay, Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, and Limp Bizkit. He also covered Soda Stereo and even “Muchachos” by La Mosca. Earlier, in 2019, he performed “Tan solo” by Los Piojos with Andrés Ciro at Luna Park. Another “extracurricular” facet of his work is his passion for contemporary music by Stockhausen.

 

Lavandera has once again upped the ante and unleashed a new and demanding challenge: this year, he went on tour with a program featuring his superb interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Mendelssohn, but he also ventured into pieces by George Gershwin and bandoneonist Dino Saluzzi. He has already performed in major venues across the U.S., and on November 16, he will be at the Teatro Coliseo.

 

“The truth is, I’m very restless,” he shares during a chat with Viva at a café in Villa Urquiza, near the famous Breyer piano store where the photos were taken. “I’m very curious, and I’m already working on some pieces by Tránsito Cocomarola because I was struck by the richness and delicacy he brings to chamamé. I’m driven by emotions, by what impacts me as a musician. If I had more hours in the day, I would research more and try to tackle more repertoire! Unfortunately, I know I’m going to die, and I won’t be able to do everything I want to do.”

 

The reference to death may sound a bit heavy for someone nearing 40 (he turns 40 in December), but it undoubtedly reflects the impact of losing his father, drummer and percussionist José María Lavandera, during the pandemic.

 

“My father organized everything with me,” he will say later.

Since the beginning of the year, Horacio Lavandera has been playing the famous “piano rolls” of George Gershwin and confesses that it has been extremely difficult for him to achieve the swing of the left hand, so typical of stride and diametrically opposed to the world of classical music.

 

“I don’t know any pianist who is playing these transcriptions of the original player piano rolls, recorded between 1916 and 1927. There are notes that are truly of superlative difficulty, because he not only used techniques that can be linked to classical music, but he also employed many techniques from African American pianists, which are incredibly challenging for the left hand. It was a huge challenge to prepare this repertoire and present it at Carnegie Hall in the U.S.,” he explains.

—Including Gershwin was a nice nod to the Americans, but what did they say about the material by Dino Saluzzi?

 

—Dino has great recognition in the specialized press, to the point that one of the top critics ranked the album we recorded together (Imágenes) among the top 20 albums in 2015. So he is recognized among very specialized individuals. With my concert at the Coliseo, I aim to elevate his name within the classical music scene, and there’s no better way to connect him with the greats, because he is a genius.

 

—How did the first contact with Saluzzi come about?

—That comes from my father, who was a colleague of Dino Saluzzi when he was 18 years old, in the Orquesta del Tango de Buenos Aires, which was made up of the top figures in tango music at that time. Years later, in 2003, my father and I ran into Dino at the Teatro Colón: I was opening the concert, and then he was performing. I remember he said to me, “I have something for you,” and we started working together. Ten years passed before the recording, and another ten years later, I included him in the Carnegie Hall concert. He is a crucial figure for understanding folk music because he plays three notes on his bandoneon and paints an impressive landscape of Argentina. He is an unavoidable reference, with a body of work so vast that it includes jazz, rock, classical music, and electronic music.

 

—He always captures the essence of folk music.

 

—Yes. What he always told me was to seek the essence of what Argentine music is. He is one of the great references. Another composer in the history of Argentine piano who sought to capture the essence of all the rhythms from the north is Julián Aguirre, who traveled a lot through Jujuy and Salta to rescue these rhythms. For Saluzzi, it is like a direct inheritance from his father and the songs he heard from his people. All of this is reflected in his work. He transmitted this to me and sang it all the time; he gave me direction on how it should be done, which has nothing to do with what is written. Written language has nothing to do with verbal language, and that opens your mind to the idea that you need to find the essence of each of these composers. It also makes me think of pieces by Franz Schubert and Mozart, when they incorporate folk elements from Austria and Germany to interpret these rhythms as best as possible.

—Is there resistance from classical music audiences to these pieces?

—No. In fact, all the great works of classical music come from popular roots, starting with the great work Martin Luther did by taking all the popular music of his time and changing the lyrics to draw people to his creed and gain followers. It’s a great musical tapestry that later allowed figures like Beethoven to emerge. That’s where the research begins on how to connect with popular music.

 

—And conversely: did you feel intimidated playing for the audience at Cosquín?

—Used to classical music audiences, suddenly being in front of a crowd that experiences folklore in a sensational way is an experience I will carry in my heart forever. I performed there last year, and I opened the Cosquín Festival after two years of the pandemic, playing some of my versions of Atahualpa Yupanqui and exploring the bond he had throughout his life with his partner (Nenette Pepin Fitzpatrick), a great pianist. The truth is, I have a huge desire to return. And since I’m currently working on some pieces by Tránsito, we’re trying to make an entry into the Chamamé Festival. I consider all of this to be of immense value to me.

At the Tango Festival in 2011, Horacio Lavandera had the pleasure of expressing his vision of Piazzolla’s quintet, which he describes as “an impressive creativity and a highlight of his work.” He was invited to perform a concert and worked hard to achieve his interpretations, drawing on the insights of his father, who was in contact with the greatest tango pianists in history, such as Horacio Salgán and Carlos García, who was the pianist of the orchestra.

 

“Just like with Gershwin,” he exemplifies, “tango requires modes of execution that cannot be written down, where there are many gestures in the left hand that create an entire world.”

—So, for one reason or another, you spend a significant number of hours each day practicing.

—Yes. Researching, rehearsing, and trying to find my sound in each of these works, and how all these ideas from the composers reflect in me. Then I try to bring that to the stage.

—On tour, do you find a place with a piano to keep practicing?

Lavandera, who will perform at the Coliseo on Saturday the 16th, comments on his obsession with experimenting with genres: “If I had more hours in the day, I would research more and try to tackle more repertoire!”

—Every concert is a world, and each trip comes with thousands of anecdotes and surprises. There are places where everything is well-developed, making it easier to find pianos to practice on, while in other places, you have to adapt to what’s available.

—What is the general pace or intensity of the tours?

—There have been times with a crazier rhythm, like doing a concert in Madrid, coming to Buenos Aires, and then going to Vienna the next day. And often, you have to be prepared with different programs. It’s really a matter of logistics, how the schedule is put together.

 

Also Rock

Even though Horacio has spent so many years perfecting his technique with masters like Antonio de Raco and Maurizio Pollini, he has also been in touch with rock music due to generational influences. “My father,” he recounts, “also had a rock and pop band, so that music was always very present. I started paying more attention to it in my teenage years, so for me, the sound of metal was very distinctive.”

—During the pandemic, you uploaded versions of Soda Stereo to YouTube. What influence has rock had on your concerts?

—I have a collaboration I did with Pedro Aznar on the song “Desarma y Sangra,” which I remember as something beautiful because it’s a lovely piece, like Charly García dressed as Schubert with brilliant poetry. And the first time I performed something rock-related in public was nothing less than at Luna Park with Ciro and Los Persas. For next year, we’re thinking about doing something similar as an integral part of my programming. I want to create versions that are closely related to what I do and see what I can contribute from my classical music background.

 

—By the way, what do you have planned for next year?

—I have to be very honest: I’m living very in the moment.

—But in the world of classical music, they plan the schedule well in advance.

—But that’s not the case for me anymore. I’m calmer now, putting things together with an artistic perspective that is very enriching for me. It’s a time to explore many options. For now, the Coliseo would be the major project to close the year. More surprises will come afterward.

—Maybe the pause during the pandemic showed you that there’s no need to rush so much.

—Exactly. And the death of my father is crucial in my life. It’s a before and after. Now I really value pauses, silences, and I understand that life is very short and should be enjoyed.