Frank Fernández prepares fireworks show for 500 years of La Habana

November 12, 2019

A spectacle of more than 16 thousand fireworks, under the direction of a Canadian company, will close on November 16 the gala for the 500th anniversary of the founding of this capital, confirmed today by composer Frank Fernández.

The renowned Cuban pianist is part of this initiative, prepared jointly with designer Georges Wade and other experts from the Fireworks FX company to honor one of the oldest cities on this continent.

The complexity of the proposal lies in the intention to integrate pyrotechnics with music, as one more instrument, and in the fact that the composer avoided creating a primitive piece, that is, an easy one; for him it was more important to convey elements of his country's cultural identity.

He wanted the music not to be just a foundation, a support; rather he tried to establish a dialogue between the plastic beauty that fireworks produce and the sound, including the explosions, although obviously the music should be somewhat above the noise of the bursts, Fernández explained to Prensa Latina.

Although he was not born in Havana, the capital was a dream to conquer and once here, at barely 15 years old, it opened an almost infinite horizon of possibilities for him and became a whole school for the musician who would later win a scholarship to study at the Chaikovski Conservatory in Moscow, Russia.

But to frame him in a single musical style would be to overlook a large part of his career and contribution to the development of various genres and artists; Fernández has been an arranger, co-arranger, artistic advisor, producer, and composer of works for film, novels, newscasts, spots, serials, theater and dance pieces.

I believe that music has to communicate intense emotions and that the most important thing is that it be good music, he stated in his studio, in front of his Steinway & Sons piano, an accomplice in numerous recordings.

I never thought I would feel so happy composing music for fireworks and the truth is it was not a purpose, nor a trend, it has been a matter of chance, because that was not in my dreams. Havana has made it all possible, he said, considering himself the father of contemporary Cuban piano school.

So far, Fernández is the only Cuban who holds the Pushkin Medal, awarded directly by the president of Russia, Vladímir Putin.

The light of Havana is very special for me, the miracle of Eusebio Leal with his restoration work of the historic center of Old Havana fills me with pleasure, as well as the cultural diversity of this city, something that few capitals have, not only in Latin America, in the world, he pointed out.

In Havana, Fernández married cellist Alina Neyra more than four decades ago and built a family; he has composed more than 600 musical works, produced iconic albums for his country's musical culture such as Días y flores and Rabo de nube by Silvio Rodríguez; A Bayamo en coche, by Adalberto Álvarez and much more.

Every time I come from my house in Playa and cross the tunnel of Quinta Avenida I see the sea and beyond it the Morro (ancient fortress), my mind gets oxygenated and I think that from now on and forever Havana has become for me an inseparable girlfriend. Not the only one but one of the main ones. After Alina, Havana, he affirmed.

A fireworks spectacle in rhythm with music is unprecedented in Cuba and something uncommon in the world for its degree of complexity. Furthermore, no matter how much it is explained with words, the project holds surprises until the moment of realization and the 75-year-old composer is thrilled by the mystery.