The Chopin Nocturnes, according to Cano and Mendoza

On the suggestion of pianist Arkaitz Mendoza, the writer Harkaitz Cano listens and interprets in his own way the Chopin "Nocturnes". Since pure instinct, like pure reason, is meaningless alone, Cano combines both of them to delve into the flexibility, depths and calm of the night. "Flexible is the Night" is an album-book published with the support of Kutxa Fundazioa and Donostia Musika published atthe Euskal Sortzaileak book collection of the Etxepare Basque Institute, in a trilingual edition (Basque, Spanish, English). Like all the other publications of the Institute, the .pdf version can be read and downloaded from www.etxepare.eus. As for the music, you can listen to it in www.arkaitzmendoza.com.  The new record-book was presented to the press today in Donostia, with  Aizpea Goenaga, director of Etxepare Basque Institute, Mari Jose Olaziregi, Director for the Promotion and Dissemination of the Basque Language at the Institute, Carlos Benito, president of Donostia Musika and the two artists: the writer Harkaitz Canoand the pianist Arkaitz Mendoza.

Aizpea Goenaga highlighted the joint work behind this work. On one hand, the excellent job of both creators; secondly, the interagency collaboration: Donostia Musika has made the leap to the city,  Kutxa Fundazioa spreads this work to Euskal Herria and the Basque Institute Etxepare will set it out into the world. The director of the Euskal Sortzaileak (Basque Creators) collection,  Mari Jose Olaziregi, recalled that the Romantics considered music the supreme art, and added that this work masterfully combines music and literature. Donostia Musika President, Carlos Benito, also showed satisfaction for their participation in the project, and noted that their support  focused on the release of the album, following the association`s aim to support young talent.

Harkaitz Cano thanked Mendoza for pushing him back to writing poetry, a genre he had a little forgotten  lately.  Although the initial idea was to translate into Basque the poems written by Gerardo Diego about the Chopin "Nocturnes", he finally decided to write new poems. The writer  said that it was a "challenging" and "cheeky" job, since Chopin´s music "does not need words." In his opinion the "Nocturnes" have some kind of crepuscular environment and "that precise impressionistic tone", which the author has tried to reflect, adding light touches of humor. The pianist Arkaitz Mendoza said that he has been the insolent one, as he has dared to play along  Cano’s poems. Mendoza that the music he most identifies himself with are the Chopin "Nocturnes”, which he had always dreamed of recording.  He added that he felt free when performing  these works, and he invited the audience to listen to them "with their eyes closed."

On the suggestion of pianist Arkaitz Mendoza, the writer Harkaitz Cano listens and interprets in his own way the Chopin "Nocturnes". Since pure instinct, like pure reason, is meaningless alone, Cano combines both of them to delve into the flexibility, depths and calm of the night. "Flexible is the Night" is an album-book published with the support of Kutxa Fundazioa and Donostia Musika published atthe Euskal Sortzaileak book collection of the Etxepare Basque Institute, in a trilingual edition (Basque, Spanish, English). Like all the other publications of the Institute, the .pdf version can be read and downloaded from www.etxepare.eus. As for the music, you can listen to it in www.arkaitzmendoza.com.  The new record-book was presented to the press today in Donostia, with  Aizpea Goenaga, director of Etxepare Basque Institute, Mari Jose Olaziregi, Director for the Promotion and Dissemination of the Basque Language at the Institute, Carlos Benito, president of Donostia Musika and the two artists: the writer Harkaitz Canoand the pianist Arkaitz Mendoza.

Aizpea Goenaga highlighted the joint work behind this work. On one hand, the excellent job of both creators; secondly, the interagency collaboration: Donostia Musika has made the leap to the city,  Kutxa Fundazioa spreads this work to Euskal Herria and the Basque Institute Etxepare will set it out into the world. The director of the Euskal Sortzaileak (Basque Creators) collection,  Mari Jose Olaziregi, recalled that the Romantics considered music the supreme art, and added that this work masterfully combines music and literature. Donostia Musika President, Carlos Benito, also showed satisfaction for their participation in the project, and noted that their support  focused on the release of the album, following the association`s aim to support young talent.

Harkaitz Cano thanked Mendoza for pushing him back to writing poetry, a genre he had a little forgotten  lately.  Although the initial idea was to translate into Basque the poems written by Gerardo Diego about the Chopin "Nocturnes", he finally decided to write new poems. The writer  said that it was a "challenging" and "cheeky" job, since Chopin´s music "does not need words." In his opinion the "Nocturnes" have some kind of crepuscular environment and "that precise impressionistic tone", which the author has tried to reflect, adding light touches of humor. The pianist Arkaitz Mendoza said that he has been the insolent one, as he has dared to play along  Cano’s poems. Mendoza that the music he most identifies himself with are the Chopin "Nocturnes”, which he had always dreamed of recording.  He added that he felt free when performing  these works, and he invited the audience to listen to them "with their eyes closed."

Regarding the live version of "Malgu da gaua", it is scheduled on November 19 at the Club Room of the Victoria Eugenia Theatre in Donostia-San Sebastian, organized by Donostia Musika together with Donostia Kultura. Arkaitz Mendoza will perform  the Chopin "Nocturnes", and actor Ekaitz Unai Gonzalez will be responsible for reading Cano`s poems. Kutxa Fundazioa has also organized another concert-recital to be held on December 2,  that will be part of the Basque Language Day program.

Concerning  the dissemination job the Institute means to do with the album-book, Mari Jose Olaziregi also pointed some upcoming cultural activities that the Institute will soon carry out with the writer Harkaitz Cano in the USand with the illustrator Elena Odriozola in Argentina. Odriozola is on her way to Argentina: on November 12  she will participate in a meeting at the University of La Plata, where the Institute holds a Basque Language and Culture readership. On November 13 and 14 she will be at  the FILBITA Festival of Children´s Literature in Buenos Aires, where she will offer several workshops and participate in a roundtable discussion.  Also in November, Harkaitz Cano, recently arrived from Dublin, Belfast and Cork, will represent the Basque literature at the feria  Miami Book Fair,, attended by the Institute for the first time. This fair is organized by the Dade College, the university with the highest number of  students the US. "By the way", Cano will travel to the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign -where Etxepare hopes to open a new readership soon-, where he will offer two lectures under the title "Literatura, arte y catarsis. "

In the picture, taken at the press conference: Harkaitz Cano, Mari Jose Olaziregi, Aizpea Goenaga, Arkaitz Mendoza and Carlos Benito