Concert Cuba y Holanda a dos pianos
This Saturday, the Oratorio San Felipe Neri will host the concert Cuba y Holanda a dos pianos, featuring Marcos Madrigal (Cuba) and Bas van Lier (Netherlands). The event is organised by the Dutch Embassy as part of the celebrations for Europe Month in Cuba, in collaboration with the Mozartian Lyceum of Havana.
The recital aims to blur the boundaries between jazz and classical music, bringing together the influences of both pianists in an experience that ranges from the music of Johann Sebastian Bach to the popular melodies of Ernesto Lecuona and George Gershwin.
What the performers propose is a different kind of concert, a journey between seemingly antagonistic worlds and modes of expression, which in truth contain unexpected points of contact,» the press release emphasises.
In this emblematic space of Old Havana, joint improvisation will be one of the leitmotifs of this experience, blending the sounds of classics such as Liszt, Schubert and Hubert de Blanck with the jazz of Oscar Peterson, also recognised as a classic of the genre.
Internationally renowned pianists
Born in 1971, Bas van Lier is one of the few pianists today to draw inspiration from soul jazz cats like Les McCann and Ramsey Lewis. Combining his love of contemporary R&B with his knowledge of traditional jazz, he creates a unique sound that is at once powerful, bluesy and subtle.
In 1998 he graduated from the University of Groningen with a degree in jazz performance, and shortly afterwards he moved to Amsterdam. Since then, he has performed with many of the greats of the national and international jazz scene, including Ralph Peterson, Benny Bailey, Benjamin Herman, Jesse van Ruller, Candy Dulfer and Bennie Wallace.
Marcos Madrigal is a renowned Cuban pianist who combines an intense international concert career with the artistic direction of one of the most important events on the contemporary Cuban music scene: the Habana Clásica Festival.
He studied with maestros such as Teresita Junco, Andreas Staier, Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou Ts’ong, John Perry, Malcolm Bilson and William Grant Naboré. As a soloist and accompanied by important orchestras, he has given recitals in prestigious venues such as the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Auditorio Parco della Musica in Rome and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
He has won numerous prizes in international competitions, including the Jaén Piano Prize in Spain, the Panama City International Piano Competition and the María Clara Cullell International Piano Competition in Costa Rica.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
