Mauricio Vallina in Concert

Mauricio Vallina, pianist, Excels in Performance at The Academy of Arts and Minds

By Ignacio Martínez-Ybor
06 April 2010

Mauricio Vallina, the formidable Brussels-based Cuban-born piano virtuoso finally made his first Miami appearance at a “for friends” musical evening 05 April at the cozy Abanico Theatre of The Academy of Arts and Minds in Coconut Grove. Mr.Vallina is fearless pianist, oblivious to the difficulties of the challenging pieces he chose to play. More importantly, Mr. Vallina is a most sensitive artist, his powerful and uncommon technical prowess solely at the service of the musical values of the music at hand. He plays from the music back to the music; it is the audience’s privilege to witness and join his musical quest.

Bach-Liszt opened the program: Fantasy & Fugue in G Minor. The Fantasy established the romantic sweep of the evening and served notice to those who had not been familiar with Mr. Vallina that here was a major talent to which attention must be paid. The fugue was clear and unfussy, a good anchor for an evening of serious music making. Charles Valentin Alkan’s monumental theme and variations followed: Le Festin d’Esope. It is the final of Alkan’s Twelve Etudes in Minor Keys, in fact, a summary of the difficulties exploited in the preceding eleven ones. It consists of an original, catchy tune, and twenty-five variations brimming with overlapping octaves, rapid passage work, powerful huge chords, indeed not music for a faint-hearted interpreter. Mr. Vallina mastered and dazzled. It is understandable why Alkan’s piece is not performed more often. A lovely interlude followed, melancholy quiet syncopation from Ernesto Lecuona: tres danzas cubanas. Of course Vallina has it in the blood, as well as the quiet elegance with which he played. To finish his presentation, Mr. Vallina created a little Liszt diptych by playing the first Valse Oubliée with delicacy and wistfulness, fingers as fleet and light as magical fairy dust, leading directly into the well known first Mephisto Waltz which brilliantly closed the program to a rousing standing ovation.

Mauricio Vallina can be heard in a wonderful, prize-winning (“CHOC” from “Le Monde de la Musique”) recital CD from EMI playing Schumann’s Carnaval, Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme of Chopin, and, with great panache, the deliciously virtuosic Schulz-Evler’s Arabesque on Themes from Johann Strauss’ On The Beautiful Blue Danube. There are various two piano collaborations with Martha Argerich in select EMI recordings from the Lugano Festival, the latest being of the Liszt two-piano version (with Argerich) of Reminiscences de Don Juan from the 2009 Festival. He also appears in the beautiful Georges Gachot film on Argerich “Evening Talks” in which he joins her in the Lutoslawski Variations on a Theme by Paganini. He also appears on a documentary on Nelson Freire, the eminent Brazilian pianist. Mr. Vallina was born in La Habana, where he graduated with a “Gold” diploma from the conservatory, continued his studies at the famed Tschaikowsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Royal Conservatory in Madrid and the Como International Piano Foundation. Teachers and mentors through the years have included Roberto Urbay, Henrietta Mirvis, Irina Plotnikova, Joaquín Soriano, the late Alicia de Larrocha, Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou T’song, Zenaida Manfugás and Martha Argerich. He has performed extensively in recital, chamber music, with orchestras, in prestigious venues and festivals throughout Europe, America, Asia, and Australia, such as “La Roque d’anthèron,” the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Radio-France Montpellier Festival, the Lugano Festival, and others. Many of his concerts have been televised or broadcasted, and many clips may be found on YouTube.

Academy of Arts and Minds has added luster to its record by presenting Mauricio Vallina in Miami for the first time.