La High Performance Music School (ESMAR) celebrated the fourth edition of the Piano Marathon in which 35 students of Rubén Talón from various cities in Spain and the rest of Europe, America and Asia participated, performing works ranging from Baroque to contemporary music in the Luis Monzonís Auditorium of the educational center in Valencia, on Saturday, June 8.
Among the pianists are young talents such as Carlos Barrachina, Laura Cariñena, Carlos Forcelledo, Pablo Frías, Lucía López Cañada or Marco Reyes, who are making their way in the world of music after winning important national and international competitions such as the Chopin International Piano Competition (Granada), the Teruel Machí Piano Competition (Benimodo), the Almería International Piano Competition, the Beethoven International Piano Competition (England), the Mendelssohn Piano Competition (South Korea) or the Gustav Mahler International Piano Competition (Prague); and other students of Talón who have participated in the different master classes that he has given during this year.
The program covered important works by Johann Sebastian Bach, pieces as emblematic of romanticism as Gnomenreigen o Love story by Franz Liszt; Impromptu Fantasy, Etudes, Ballads o Scherzos by Fryderyk Chopin; Musical moments y Preludes by Sergei Rachmaninoff, The Toccata by Sergei Prokofiev, Studies by Alexander Scriabin; pieces from the Iberia by Isaac Albéniz; as well as demanding contemporary works such as Gargoyles by Lowell Liebermann.
Rubén Talón, head of the ESMAR Piano Department and one of the most important Spanish pianists on the current piano scene, is developing a true school of piano performance that is a benchmark in Spain and abroad, with which he aims to provide his teaching and give his students effective tools to tackle their artistic and professional careers. Talón, together with renowned teachers and pianists such as Josep Colom, Guillermo González, Carmen Martínez-Pierret, José Enrique Moreno, Juan Fernando Moreno, Ana Guijarro, Ricardo Descalzo, Pablo Gómez and María Abad, have managed to instill in many pianists the desire to enjoy a demanding, high-performance education.
University of Cambridge
The students of the pianist and professor at ESMAR recently participated in the Cambridge University Piano Festival and accompanied him in the concert he gave at the famous Chapel of Trinity College in the English city. The experience was very enriching for the musicians who were able to meet and perform at one of the most emblematic festivals and venues in the United Kingdom.
Rubén Talón has highlighted that “in its different editions, the Pianistic Marathon has hosted high-level concerts that demonstrate the quality of young musicians who have won awards in renowned competitions and have great potential”. The concert pianist, soloist and piano teacher believes that “excellent training is essential to face their future artistic careers with confidence”; and he stresses that “as a teacher, I am aware of the great responsibility and commitment to their education and musical development that I assume, but with the connection and empathy that has been established with them, everything is much easier”.
Virtuosity and interpretative maturity
Talón has won numerous national and international competitions in Spain, France, Italy, Austria and the United States, such as the Vittoria Caffa Rigetti International Piano Competition Milano, the Euterpe International Piano Competition in Bari, the International Piano Competition in Salzburg, the Claude Kahn Piano Competition in Paris… and has been recognized with special awards for the interpretation of works by Manuel de Falla, Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninov or the Exceptional Talent Award in Salzburg.
Critics have praised “his virtuosity, clear personality and interpretive maturity” and consider him “one of the best pianists of his generation, one of the greatest pianistic talents in Spain and one of the most promising young pianists in Europe”. In relation to his interpretations, the press highlights “the profound expression of style and absolute neatness of effects”, as well as “his intelligence at the service of the score to extract all possible juice from it, without resorting to artifice”.
Disc Seeking Lightness
The musician published the album Seeking Lightness which includes reference works such as the Sonata opus 27 number 2 of Beethoven or the Sonata en si menor by Liszt and for which he has received praise from specialized media. The album has been recognized with two important international awards: gold in the Classical category of the World Music Awards 2023 and at the Silver Global Music Award 2023 in California.
He has given concerts as a soloist and with prestigious ensembles such as the Valencia Orchestra, the European Orchestra, the Nord Caucasus Philharmonic… in Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Russia, China, Argentina and Uruguay. He has been invited to renowned international festivals, to give master classes at various conservatories and specialist centres and to be a member of juries at international competitions. Talón is also the director of the El Piano de Cañada Blanch Concert Cycle in Valencia, a delegate of the Eutherpe Foundation and an ambassador of talent at the Promete Foundation.