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  Josu De Solaun

A Conversation With
Josu De Solaun Soto

Josu De Solaun, a 25 year-old pianist, and native of Valencia, Spain, currently studying under the guidance of Horacio Gutiérrez for the Doctorate in Musical Arts program for piano at the Manhattan School of Music, will next be seen performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major with the North Shore Symphony Orchestra. In September of 2006 he received, by unanimous decision of the jury, the First Grand Prize at the XV José Iturbi International Piano Competition, being the first Spanish pianist to ever win the award in the 25 years of its existence. Josu is also working toward a Masters in Philosophy through the National University in Madrid, Spain.

I recently had the great pleasure of sitting down with Josu. What follows is an excerpt from that spirited conversation.

Blake Dunn: How have you been received in your native Spain as the first Spanish pianist be honored with first prize at the José Iturbi International Piano Competition?

Josu De Solaun: A lot of people were happy, my family, my friends. A big part of the honor is that I am the only Spanish pianist ever to win the award in 25 years.

As a Spaniard, it is sometimes difficult to have a career as a musician in Spain. The fact that I was given this prize was very important to me — it means that in the future I will perform there too. Spain is an amazing country. Its economy is booming and there is a thriving cultural scene. You know it's a sunny place with great food great people with an amazing tradition of history and culture. It has been a joy to be supported by so many of my own people.

I've done a little bit of research on José Iturbi and discovered that later in his career he became quite a movie star. Do you have any aspirations for Hollywood?

JS:   I love the cinema. I in particular love the movies of Andrei Tarkovsky, Theo Angelopoulos, Julio Medem and Giuseppe Tornatore, although I enjoy many different film-makers and genres. I don't see myself as an actor, for that takes the same kind of commitment and sacrifice that music entails, but I would love to make music for the movies some day. I love the movie-music composers Ennio Morriconne and Alberto Iglesias

BD:   These competitions seem incredibly grueling can you give us an idea of how it all works?

JS:   This was my first and only international competition. I personally have never loved competitions. I find that they can be a bit removed from what music really is. Maybe it's not the best thing to say because it sounds like I'm being ungrateful for the prize — and I am not, because it's a huge opportunity. It will give me the chance to perform music that I love in many different places, for many different audiences, and that is a dream. But I still don't love them. It was such a grueling experience — there's a pre-selection first — through letters of recommendation and curriculum and everything. Then from the many applicants from all over the world, they choose about 50. And then you are there for a month, and there's five rounds. Three full recitals. They're each eliminatory and you keep passing them and when you get to the fourth round you play with the orchestra and you finally play with the orchestra again (fifth round), with a different piece — and this is in a period less than three weeks. It's a lot of stress, I don’t recommend it to anyone.

At the same time, I guess I recommend it in the sense that it gives you an interesting opportunity to perform and that might be one of the few ways that now a days most young people can get one. So I'm very grateful.

BD:   Do you enjoy living in New York?

JS:   I've loved New York since I was a child, since I was very young. I went to an American school all my life in Spain. I had a bi-lingual education and I was always fascinated by New York. New York is the embodiment of modern, urban civilization, in all of its beauty and extremes. It can be difficult but also very exciting. Every time I leave, I fill like an exile.

BD:   When did you first visit New York?

JS:   My first trip was when I was 16. There was an exchange program with my high school and Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens. I stayed there for about two weeks. I like it so much I had my idea set on coming to New York. That’s when I decided to audition for the Manhattan School Of Music.

BD:   How did your family react when you were accepted to the Manhattan School of Music?

JS:   It was bittersweet for my family. At the moment I didn't understand the meaning of attachment for family. I thought, “I want to get out of here and be free and experience the world”. Later when I was in New York for five years I started to miss my roots. But not until I was older — in my early 20s.

BD:   So what was it like when you moved to the United States as a 17 year old?

JS:   The shock was overwhelming for a person coming from the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Everything is different – from how people look at you, to how food tastes, to how the water tastes, to how the wind blows, how the trees smell. Everything is different — it took me a year to assimilate to the whole experience and I was so young. I had never really left home like that. The first time I left to New York I didn't come back home for a year. Even though I had been speaking English all my life I remember I was scared of going in to the subway and getting a Metrocard because I thought no one would understand me. I always had a friend buy a Metrocard for me for some time.

BD:   Do you play any other instruments?

JS:   My first instrument is not the piano. I played the guitar until I was about 10 years old maybe 11. I acquired a considerable level but I thought it was very difficult and I was just so much better at the piano, and I started on the piano much later. I started the guitar when I was maybe four and I started the piano when I was eight — and that's pretty late. Usually on the piano, people start at 5 or six. I do still love the guitar and I still have nostalgia when I think about it. I listen to Andres Segovia recordings very often.

BD:   What's your second favorite art form? If you could be another type of artist what would it be?

JS:   Cinema — a filmmaker. I think it takes the same kind of commitment that it would be impossible to do both. I don't know anyone who can do two things really well like that — musician and filmmaker. Also a poet. Ever since I fell in love with the poetry of Luis Cernuda and Wallace Stevens as a child it has been my secret passion.

BD:   Do you compose?

JS:   Yeah but — it all sounds like Scriabin on — how do you call them? Steroids. Some Berg influences at times, too. I like improvising more than composing.

BD:   Do you enjoy it?

JS:   I love it, I don't have time. I feel always that to do something well you have to give it all. You cannot give it a little bit. And if I'm not giving it all to composition I feel like I'm being not honest.

BD:   Do you play any other styles of music?

JS:   I love jazz. I love it since I was so young. Much before I came to America I could play some jazz. I love Bill Evans, I love his playing. I have most of his recordings. And I love Brad Mehldau's playing too. I think he is a genius, just like Evans was.

BD:   Last question, have you thought about what you hope your career will be like?

JS:   I'm at a moment of difficulty with that. I sometimes struggle with the question of to what point does the music I love and want to play mean something to people. I hope that my career will allow to always be in touch with the great works of art that our culture has produced and to share them with audiences, to share my own insight and experiences of the music with different people, in different ways.... But it's a difficult question....