If you are anything like me, you have never listened to classical music in your life. “Classical music is for retired people!” or “It has no words, so it can’t be entertaining?” has come out of my mouth and probably the mouths of countless youth. Why listen to some violins, a piano, and a cello when I can listen to Drake or Kanye? Well, as someone whose heart and mind have just been opened to the world of classical music, let me give you the how-to and who-to start with Luke Meadows’ very own Classical Music for Dummies.
Step One: Discover the Story of Ilmar and Aldo Lopez-Gavilan.
In your first step toward this style of music, you might find it difficult to forge an immediate connection with an artist. This is understandable. Your current connections have more than likely been built over the years with an artist that has a loyal fanbase. Not to worry-I’ve created an easy way for you to attach yourselves to your next favorite musical artists. Ilmar and Aldo Lopez-Gavilan, a pair of Cuban-born brothers, are some of the biggest names in classical music. It’s in their blood—their father, Guido Lopez-Gavilan, is a musical conductor and composer, and their mother, Teresita Junco, was a talented pianist. They collectively passed down their musical gifts to their children. The prodigious nature of the brothers’ talent revealed itself at an early age. At 14, Ilmar, the older of the two brothers, was sent to the former Soviet Union to continue his violin studies and has not lived in Cuba since that time. From the former Soviet Union, Ilmar moved to the United States. Aldo remained in Cuba and returned home after studying in London. The geographical divide between the brothers was only one aspect of the circumstances that kept them apart; the larger, more imposing issue was decades of geopolitical turmoil between Cuba and the United States. Despite this, Aldo and Ilmar worked hard to find ways to connect while they were apart, and after years of working towards that goal, were finally able to collaborate on an album and tour together. The more you learn about these brothers and their stories, the more you will fall in love with them. They give classical music newcomers a firm foundation as they navigate this new world.
Step Two: View the Award-Winning Documentary, “Los Hermanos”
Now you may be asking yourself, “Luke, why would I watch a documentary to get into music?” I understand this may seem counterproductive, but trust me. Mr. Ken Schneider and Ms. Marcia Jarmel, the geniuses behind “Los Hermanos” and several other Cuban stories at Patchwork Films, documented Ilmar and Aldo’s story. Schneider and Jarmel felt strongly that the world needed to meet these talented brothers. After viewing the film, I didn’t just feel like I had met Ilmar and Aldo, though; I felt like I had known them for years. Watching the documentary, which highlights the brothers’ Cuban upbringing; their physical separation at a young age; their career achievements; their struggles, and ultimately their triumphs, provides the newcomer with an even deeper level of appreciation and respect for their art when they listen for the first time. From their impromptu jingles around the family dinner table to the grand concerts with fellow legends at the Lincoln Center, their love of music is palpable. The joy they feel when they play and share their music literally leaps off the screen.
Step Three: Listen to Them, Preferably in Person.
Now that you have successfully attached yourselves to the artists, discovered their amazing stories and viewed the beautiful documentary depicting their journey, you are ready to fully experience the brothers’ musical talents. If you can only listen to them online or through a CD, that is perfectly fine. I would recommend their joint album Brothers and, specifically, listen to Epilogue – a song that pierced my heart and took a stranglehold on my soul when I heard it. From there, you can listen to their solo work, Ilmar’s Take The A Train, performed by him and his group The Harlem Quartet, and Aldo’s piano solo work, headlined by his album Playgrounds .
Through the CDs, you can hear the brothers’ passion and attention as they do things musically that very few others in the world can do.
If you have the opportunity though, you must, and I repeat, must see the brothers in person. Only then can you fully appreciate their physical mannerisms; the intricate way they so gracefully play the violin and piano; and most especially their bright smiles that light the room up with a sparkle no stage light could ever reproduce. Their music touched my soul in a way other music does not. It will touch yours, too. And if you were not already a fan of this style of music, you will become one quickly.
If you follow the above steps, you will move from “dummy” to full-fledged classical musicophile with a deep appreciation for a new art form. You’ll also have a broadened worldview through the lens of the uniquely human story of Ilmar and Aldo Gavilan, two brothers who persevered through intense political, geographical, and cultural divides.
Theirs is a beautiful story of music as the universal language which transcended all, ultimately bringing the brothers together—and us in the process.
