Meet David Gomez

If music has the power to engage all our senses and make us feel, David Gomez certainly has a way with notes. Also known as the “Pianist of the 200 Candles”, David has performed in many different countries, seducing and impressing his audience wherever he goes. He offered concerts and shows at the most renowned theatres such as  Carnegie Hall-New York, The Royal Concertgebouw-Amsterdam, The National Concert Hall-Dublin, St Martin-in-the-Fields-London, Cairo Opera House, Concertgebouw de Doelen-Rotterdam, Chicago Cultural Center, The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts- Moscow, among many others.

But regardless of what at first may seem a life of glitter and glamour, solitude and loneliness are the predominant emotional themes that emerge from his pieces, laying open the solitariness of long hours spent rehearsing, the lack of companionship when he travels. Yet, they carry nothing dramatic. Just like poetry, his music is fluid and soulful, soft and melting, the tones flowing gently into one another, his touch is light on the keyboards. He is a romantic, and his compositions express his dreams and the stories he creates.

Q. David, how did you get into music, and do you agree that a musician chooses the instrument according to his own character?

A. “As a matter of fact, when you start studying music, you are too young to make a choice; you play a particular instrument usually under the influence of someone else. In my case, it was my mother who made that choice for me. She is an accordion player herself and was the one who wanted to learn to play the piano. I was seven; I did not know what I wanted to be back then, although I did love the arts in general and had a passion for music. Only later, when I was about 12, I started feeling the need to communicate what I was learning. A bit like when you study a foreign language and feel the need to go out and talk with someone to put it to practice. I gave my first concert at the age of 14; that is when I knew I wanted to become a pianist.”

“The best music is the one I think of in silence”

Q. You studied in Switzerland, the Netherlands and then moved to Spain, where you have been for 14 years now.  Has that been reflected in your repertoire?

A. “I am fortunate to have the opportunity to travel extensively throughout five continents. That enriches me very much as a person and hence enriches the music I compose. However, I write from home. During my travels, I absorb everything about people I meet and places I see, but I need to be in my corner at home to be able to process my experiences, develop my ideas and turn them into music.” “Likewise, I am very grateful for the life I lead. It feels like my biggest accomplishment just being able to work with my creativity.”

Q. What do you believe are the most important things that help people become creative?

A. “Actually, I believe that we are all born to be creative, but not everyone develops the creative part of their brain. I think you have to be open to experimenting, but it is education that plays the biggest role”.

Q. In other words, David, as Pablo Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

A. “Indeed. Children’s creativity should be encouraged and from a very young age. In Swedish schools, for example, children get a lot of creative stimulation daily. In Spain, unfortunately, exposure to the arts may not be as readily available. And while there are a lot of gifted people here, their talent is not nourished enough. I believe that having the opportunity to express your creativity helps you become a better person and enjoy life more. Just consider that we spend most of our life at work, and if we could turn all those work hours into something creative, we would live a better life. Moreover, when you create art or music, you set off a whole emotional inner process that triggers feelings of joy; it is as if you are connecting to something magical”. Whether historical or contemporary, we think that a musician’s mission is also to inspire and remind people that there is magic in this world and that we are all connected.

Q. Which pianists do you admire the most and why?

A. “I admire Bach. He is the one and the only composer I could be playing here now for hours without tiring or getting the feeling I am out of tune. Balance is a key part of his compositions, and what’s more, the more you play Bach, the more you feel you are learning something new.”

Q. I know that musicians are often hesitant to list their influences, as they want to be considered unique. However, are there any pianists or composers who have influenced you?

A. “There are several I like, and they are all outstanding, so it is hard to mention one. I try to be open, but to be honest, for the past few years, I have been trying not to listen to any music at all to avoid being influenced and thus produce something unique that is mine alone.”

Q. Which has been the highlight of your career so far, and which has been a low point?

A. “I cannot mention one perfect moment as there are many. Each time a concert ends, it is a special moment because it makes me feel happy and privileged. And each time I am in front of an appreciative audience, that is such a gift. As for bad moments, maybe years ago when I was on tour in Australia. It was my first time being so far away from home, and it was a demanding tour of four concerts in all, followed by a further one in Mexico right after. That involved a massive quantity of details, and I was personally responsible for most of them. That must have felt so overwhelming and built up such insecurity in me that at some point, I became very nervous and anxious like I never felt before. However, as I went and sat at the piano, all my nerves were gone. Nevertheless, each time before a concert begins, I do still ask myself the question: “Why did I ever choose to become a pianist? “

Q. Which has been your most appreciative audience, and which one the coldest?

A. “The most appreciative of all… is the Latin audience. Let’s see, a Spanish audience is excellent and very warm, but the Mexican audience is fantastic; their response to my performance is always so heartfelt and spontaneous that it stirs my emotions. And besides, everyone wants to talk to you and tell you how they feel. The coldest audience in my experience has been the Japanese. There is no banter at all. This does not mean that they don’t like you, it is just a form of respect in their culture, but it is all very conventional, very controlled. It leaves me with a weird feeling, wondering whether they liked me. On the other hand, though they are close neighbors of the Japanese, people in Korea are more like Latins. Then there are audiences you feel comfortable with because you know that they are not judging your playing but are there to enjoy. This happens to me in Holland.”

Q. And it was in Holland where David got the inspiration for his candlelit concerts. Staged both indoors and outdoors, this concept is carried out in unusual venues that offer a visual impact, such as lighthouses, prehistoric sites, train stations, cemeteries, historic ruins, etc.

A. “I have been performing “1 Piano and 200 Candles” concerts for about eight years. I came up with the idea during my study years in Holland, where people use candles in their homes. And, as I dislike artificial light, the candlelight idea for a piano concert appealed to me.”

Q. “1 Piano, 200 Candles” and a wonderful Project, I would add.  David’s musical journey has made him very passionate about children’s education, and so he created the 1 DONATION and 200 DREAMS program.  David, can you tell me about that?

“Through my travels and my job, I regularly learn about different charities helping orphans and children in need, but being a musician, I wanted to do something different.I wanted to give disadvantaged children an opportunity that they otherwise wouldn’t have. I wanted them to learn to play an instrument and build up a musical career that would create a secure future for themselves and provide a better life for their families. Therefore I have created a merchandising line. A portion of the benefits from the sale thereof is devoted to buying musical instruments for those children. I am currently working on the first instrument, a saxophone for Casa Ayuda, a foster home in Mexico. Casa Ayuda aims to help orphans and disadvantaged children to find a home in a family environment and access a solid education. The work they do at Casa Ayuda is remarkable; my contribution is just a small one for the moment. This is just a beginning, but I plan to get more and more involved in their musical education, giving them lessons and also finding more volunteers willing to teach music.”

Not long ago, David signed a deal with RIVER FISH that marked the release of the “The Island,” his first recording as a composer containing 12 pieces for solo piano dedicated to aspects of Mallorca, and which includes his favorite soundtracks ‘The Lighthouse’ and ’16 years old’. Beguiling and contemplative, this album is a timeless collection of cinematic soundtracks.

Q. What’s next for you? What are your other goals or aspirations?

A. “I always loved acting, and I’d love to star in a movie for which I would also compose the soundtrack. Or, for a change, present a music program.My big dream would be to combine all these things, but I think I would settle for winning an Oscar for the best soundtrack; yes, I think I would be happy with that.”