Tonight will be Daniela Liebman ’s debut with Mexico’s National Symphony Orchestra . She will be playing musical pieces from her new album, including Manuel M. Ponce ’s Balada mexicana (Mexican Ballad), which is already a success in Spotify . “To finally play with one of the best orchestras in Mexico will be very special to me, it is a one in a lifetime opportunity. I will be performing Mendelssohn’s piano concerto No. 1 . This will be the first time that I play it here and I am very excited,” she tells in her interview.
The 15-year-old Mexican pianist has said that her album (named after her) has been a very special experience. Some of the tracks are Chopin’s Ballade No. 3 , and four Impromptus by Schubert.
“It has always been my dream to record an album. The experience was very different from playing in front of an audience, but it allowed me to work on the pieces in a different way; recording is an art in itself. I think I learned a lot about myself as a musician. Playing for yourself is different from playing for an audience. When you’re on stage, you can use the people’s energy, because as soon as you step into the spotlight, you feel a connection, a mutual communication; when you’re in the study, you’re playing for yourself, you have the chance to return to the piece again and again until you play it the way you intended,” she related.
The young pianist added that her album includes her own comments on each of the pieces and that together, they tell a story. “I recorded it a year ago, and today, my perspective of the pieces is entirely different; seeing this has helped me as a musician, it has helped me realize that I intend to keep changing. When you record an album, you capture a moment, in a way, and I think that’s beautiful. I’m excited that the Mexican Ballad has reached the fifth place on the new classical music album charts, I don’t know how it happened, but I’m very glad it did.”
The programme of the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pablo González , includes Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture , and the Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14 . The concert will be tonight in the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City at 20:00 hours , and on Sunday at 12:15 .
Liebman will be touring South America , to perform in Ecuador on 15 June ; Chile , on June 23 , and Brasil , on June 28, 29 , and 30 . After that, she will go to Poland to study for a few weeks. She will return to Mexico in September to participate in the Black and White piano festival at the National Center for the Arts. “I’m 15 years old and there are still many composers that I don’t know. I want to keep studying and take some time for myself, to really get into the musical pieces and composers, so that I can build a style of my own,” she explained.
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