• Submitted by: admin
• Arts and Culture
• Music
• 12 / 24 / 2006

By Mario Vizcaíno Serrat

Convinced that artistic creation is a spiritual need through which best human values can surface concert pianist Frank Fernández makes clear he reached that notion at the age of 10.

Privileged by an overwhelmingly huge musical talent Fernández proves to have been subject to rigorous academic training what led him to show great virtuosity and temperament, his magical power to communicate, the ease with which he identifies himself with the classics' varied and complicated styles he masterly interprets, his total, almost mystic dedication are qualities which, reveal through his poetic and powerful personality, that what he is, an ideal interpreter.

Fernández has declared to be greatly influenced by his mothers classic piano academy located in Mayarí, his hometown, where he became familiar with the classics Beethoven, Schumann, Liszt, Mozart, Schubert, since he was 3 yers-old he learned to play well Sindo Garay and Manuel Corona and Pepe Sanchez, Maria Teresa Vera, Miguel Matamoros. For him, it was equally beautiful to hear Schubert or songs like Perla Marina by Sindo. In that way music first came into his senses, where he finds the essence of his love for all styles and rhythms.

Fame and glory have never cracked this recognized musicians working discipline, much less money. In 1960, he was offered a juicy contract at Havana Libre Hotels night club, the composer rejected thinking it could really endanger his passion for writing and teaching music to which such contracting terms would most likely prevent him from devoting enough time to for example, give masterful classes in Cuba and abroad and promoting discs as he dreamed of making in all genres. That is why he returned to Mayarí.

A German music professor Henrik Musser foretold "he can be a good orchestra director, if he studies, but rather an excellent pianist ". While others warned he could touch the soul of the classics with his music and even affirmed that due to his great communication power could easily reach the audiences' hearts.

Hes also composed nice pieces for movies, TV serials or soap operas what have proved the wide range of creativity he puts at the service of all artistic expressions. In his own words, Fernández gives particular recognition to the work developed for television and movies now integrating one of his dearest albums of which Vértigo... y Sueno reached the top under the performance of Amadeo Roldán Conservatorys choir. While Zapateo por derecho came to enrich the folkloric country music.

Frank Fernandez is an artist of such transparency and mystic strength that he makes us feel, in advance, that our soul comes out to our body limits, one of the greatest artists capable of giving marvellous work of music going directly to the heart. It happens that everything apparently simple in art is really profound when listening to him playing.

Source: CubaSi