A Spanish serenade for Shenzhen

When pianist Luis Fernando Perez gave a recital during the 12th Shenzhen Piano Music Festival on Nov 2, he captivated the audience with his passionate celebration of Spanish classical music.

Perez opened with two piano sonatas by 18th-century composer Antonio Soler, setting a tone of elegance and authenticity.

The first half of the program continued with three pieces selected from Twelve Spanish Dances, Op 37, by pianist and composer Enrique Granados, Scenes d'enfants (Scenes of Children), a nostalgic composition by Frederic Mompou, and selections from Manuel de Falla's ballet, The Three-Cornered Hat.

In the second half, Perez performed excerpts from Isaac Albeniz's celebrated Suite Iberia, followed by selections from another of De Falla's ballets, El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician).

With each touch of the keys, Perez brought the essence of Spanish music alive. His skilled hands conjured its vivid textures and rhythms, evoking the lively strum of guitars, the clack of castanets, and the melodic chime of bells. His expressive and nuanced performance drew sustained applause.

"It was a very special moment. I saw my audience smiling and visibly touched. I wanted to bring music from my country, from Spain, to the Chinese audience," he says.

He also says that initially, he planned to play a mix of Chopin and some Spanish piano music but after discussing the program with Sun Yue, the deputy director of the Shenzhen Piano Music Festival, he was strongly encouraged to present an entirely Spanish program.

The pianist first performed in China around 10 years ago.

"One of my dreams is to know every beautiful place in China. China is so big. I remember beautiful Beijing and impressive Shanghai. This time I was able to enjoy the city of Shenzhen and its beautiful parks and buildings and amazing friends and food," Perez says. "There were both beautiful communication and silence during my recital in Shenzhen. The Chinese public is very emotional and warm.

"The pentatonic scale in Chinese music very much influenced impressionists and Spanish composers of the late 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. It was the fashion of the time for Western impressionists to borrow many things from Asian music. So impressionist music owes a lot to Chinese and Asian music, and Spanish composers were also very much influenced by this," he says. "Moreover, both Chinese and Spanish music are born out of our traditions, of our dances and our unique and special instruments. We are both very rich countries in terms of folklore."

According to French newspaper Le Monde, Perez is known for his virtuosity, colorful playing and ability to clearly communicate to his public, and he is considered one of the most exceptional artists of his generation.

"The message I think music gives is much higher and stronger than we can ever describe. It is said that it cures. It puts us at peace. It comforts our solitude, our insides, our soul," he says. "I always try to bring to my audience the work of the great masters, and to allow everybody to experience its message in the particular moment, in that particular hall, and with that particular audience."

Perez began to learn to play the piano with his father, who introduced him to Canzone Napoletana — a traditional genre of Neapolitan song that emerged in Naples in the 19th century — when he still didn't know how to read music.

When Perez was 15, he was accepted into the Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid where, as he says, he "had to make many decisions".

"My professor, Dmitri Bashkirov, asked me why I wanted to learn to play the piano. I, then a 15-year-old boy, answered: 'I want to be the best pianist!' He replied: 'I don't know if you'll be the best, but maybe one of the best. Will you work like crazy?'. I answered: 'Yes!'," Perez says.

He also mentions that he met the legendary pianist Alicia de Larrocha for the first time when he was 16 during a master class and went on to work with her until the end of her life.

"Alicia de Larrocha was one of the greatest pianists ever in Spain's history. I was very lucky to work with her for many years, from 1994 to 2006," he says.

"Perez's playing is not only technically excellent but also deeply moving, fully displaying the beauty and depth of Spanish music. As a universal language, music can transcend linguistic, cultural and geographical barriers, fostering closer connections between artists and audiences from different countries," says Yang Suxian, director of the organizing committee of the Shenzhen Piano Music Festival. "Through the platform of the festival, musical and cultural exchange between Shenzhen and Spain have become increasingly vibrant."

Since its inception 12 years ago, the Shenzhen Piano Music Festival has been dedicated to promoting international musical and cultural exchange.