BARCELONA NEWS… so help me music!

As you may know, I was born in Barcelona, where I was raised and lived with my family for 45 years. But, ten years ago I decided to leave my hometown… I never shared my experience because I wanted to follow my professional path without the burden of circumstances that I thought could disturb me from following my career which was founded on a more important calling… Nevertheless, if you are interested in knowing more about it, you can have a look at the personal statement clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/OIBPA-YEudk. But just remember it’s just the personal statement of an author…

This month has been for me a time for looking back, controlling all sorts of emotions and reflecting on so many experiences. All that is happening in Barcelona, especially to many good friends there, affects me. My concerns are not about politics, neither about the confrontation of ideas, but about human beings. Of course, as a human being I have my own personal ideas, but far beyond is my humanity. Actually, I think that to let your ideas get organized and become ideologies looking for complicity and partnership is a threat to you free thinking and to your humanity. To overcome any kind of oppression, to find the ways of respect and understanding, to express our common humanity, we humans have the Arts, and especially Music, which are above politics.

I believe freedom is indispensable to an artist to be able to create: “Only Art that is free is vital, only creativity which is free is joyful” (Sergey Rachmaninoff). I also understand that to be free sometimes you can feel “silence is not an option” (Gabriela Montero, the great pianist from Venezuela). This is why I respect all those, of any profession, who express their ideas and political views. Nevertheless, I think personally that in the case of artists, taking sides can distort your artistic message and you know how keen I am of my message to enlighten your life with the best music of all times, no matter your circumstances. Music has helped me so much to keep up… In the difficult days, I have experienced last month I managed to overcome nostalgia thank to Rachmaninov piano concertos, and I could switch off the news thank to good old Vivaldi Mandolin Concertos.

Music and the Arts provide relief and as they help us reconnect with ourselves and express our humanity. Music shows us how to listen to so many moods, whilst Visual Arts show us how to look through so many different eyes… artists enlighten us by showing us the way we listen and look around us with temperance and respect. Actually, the need to share this conviction with future generations was the trigger for my new project with MAX & family, which is coming to a new stage now that I am writing the Production Bible and looking for partners. If you are interested, please contact me to get access to the Intro and Back Story.

See you in November!