13 October 2014
Lydie Solomon’s live interview in “Breakfast Classics”,
on Abu Dhabi Classic FM
Damian Watson interviews Lydie Solomon, live in « Breakfast Classics », on Abu Dhabi Classic FM, on the eve of Lydie Solomon's recital ‘Chopin's Journey' opening the Abu Dhabi Classics season. Extracts of the interview:
- Damian Watson: “It all begins tomorrow evening with a concert at Manarat Al Saadiyat by the French pianist Lydie Solomon, dedicated to Chopin's travels. Now, Lydie is a world renowned pianist – I'm sure you know – who last year introduced a new program dedicated to – to me at least – little known links between Chopin's music and that of various Cuban composers. We'll come on to this in a minute, it's called ‘De Chopin à Cuba' – ‘From Chopin to Cuba'.”
“But I want to explore this link with Cuba that I mentioned at the beginning of our interview today, and your album ‘From Chopin to Cuba'. What is that link? I wasn't aware of any links between Chopin and the music of Cuba.”
- Lydie Solomon: “Neither was I!”
- Damian Watson: “Ah! Right!”
- Lydie Solomon: “But the thing is that he never went to Cuba, of course. But his music went there through his very dear friend, Julian Fontana, who was one of his dearest friends from childhood. And Julian Fontana was a man who helped Chopin a lot, copying manuscripts, sending them to publishing houses… He helped him in very different matters. But one day he decided to live by himself, and so he went to Cuba in 1844, and when he arrived, his first recital he gave was composed of Chopin music. So, he did not have that much success with Chopin's music, because it was too new, and people said: ‘Yeah, it's beautiful, but I have to listen to this another time because it's so innovative!' They didn't understand it. But he met a little… a young genius, a 12-year-old genius called Nicolás Ruiz Espadero, who composed this Grande Fantaisie Cubaine which is on the CD, and who caught this genius. And he got impregnated with his genius and he was influenced by Chopin's language, and so he mixed the Cuban style, Cuban rhythms with Chopin's music. And you have this influence which still lives on today, because you have this great, famous group called Buena Vista Social Club which… they are influenced by Chopin's music actually.”
- Damian Watson: “OK. Let's hear a short excerpt from your CD.”
[excerpt from Grande Fantaisie Cubaine, by Nicolás Ruiz Espadero, from Lydie Solomon's album, ‘From Chopin to Cuba']
- Damian Watson: “The music of Nicolás Ruiz Espadero, the Grande Fantaisie Cubaine, played by Lydie Solomon from her album ‘From Chopin to Cuba'. And Lydie will be opening the Abu Dhabi Classics concert series tomorrow, at Manarat Al Saadiyat, for the 2014-15 season. Flew in from Paris yesterday, spending just a few days, here, in Abu Dhabi, Lydie.”