In the hands of Rolando Luna, the spells of Cuban piano

January 18, 2023

Last Friday the 13th it was possible to verify how through art it is possible to shatter "the curse" that accompanies that date. We are referring to the performance of pianist Rolando Luna and his guests, in the Ignacio Cervantes concert hall, to present his most recent recording production, with Egrem, My Soul in Songs.

A concert is much more than playing pieces, which is why Luna summoned "the spells" required so that an unquestionable level of magic would prevail throughout the show. Perhaps the first thing we should point out is his ability to captivate us and the professional rigor as a pianist, committed to transmitting the greatest emotionality in a comprehensive proposal.

Each piece performed by the hands of the virtuoso instrumentalist contained, in itself, the energy of an entire symphony, evident both in the version of Guarina, by Sindo Garay, as in the climax reached with the song Love, Live, by Rembert Egües.

On the other hand, when he accompanied the guests, his hierarchical rank within contemporary Cuban piano was revealed to us, capable of "sweeping" in whatever field they ask him to participate. In the trio with bassist Julio César González and Oliver Valdés on drums, we felt Luna like a fish in the ocean of jazz, while alongside singer Maikel Dinza, in the classic Convergencia, by Bienvenido Julián Gutiérrez, he revealed the mastery of the complex skills inherent to the accompanying pianist. He demonstrated equal mastery when sharing the stage with the voices of Trío Palabras, in Adriana, by Manuel Corona.

We were simply witnesses to the exposition of a key concept for understanding the nature of the well-deserved praise for Rolando Luna, deeply Cuban, rooted in his origins, capable of appropriating the entire universe of music without losing the distinctive mark of Creole spirit. Not without reason, moments before leaving, I had the certainty that, if the distinguished piano of the Cervantes hall could speak, it would confess the immense pleasure of having had as an occasional guest a master of his caliber.

By Guille Vilar