Description
Recently I came across a fabulous Spanish Concert Pianist on YouTube, by the name of Juan Pérez Floristán. He was playing the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1—one of my favourites. Watching him play had me literally jumping out of my seat. So, I decided that I’ve really got to chat with him. And I did, from his home in Spain.
Juan’s website
Juan’s YouTube Channel
Tócala otra vez Juan (Play it again, Juan)
My Note: I checked it out and watched (with subs) his analysis of Rachmaninoff's Second Concerto. It was fun and informative. 🤓
Juan P. Floristán plays Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major ℅ YouTube
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Floristán) ℅ YouTube
Here’s a little more about Juan, in his own words:
“I was born in 1993, in Seville, a city in the south of Spain, which in itself is in the south of Europe. My father, Juan Luis Pérez, is an orchestra director, and I learned how to conduct from him. My mother, María Floristán, is a pianist and pedagogue, and I learned to play the piano from her.
My orchestral activity also began when I was very young, playing Mozart's Concerto 12 with my father Juan Luis Pérez at the baton. Since then, I have played with ensembles such as the RTVE Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Spain, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Camerata, the Monterey Symphony Orchestra (USA), the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra, & the Barcelona Orchestra.
I have also conducted Beethoven and Mozart concerts from the piano.
As for the venues I have had the privilege of playing in, I cannot forget the Royal Albert Hall (together with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at the Proms), the Wigmore Hall, the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Tonhalle in Zürich , the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, the Béla Bartók Hall in Budapest, & the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
Probably the greatest milestones of my professional life have been winning in 2015 the International Piano Competition "Paloma O'Shea" in Santander and in 2021 the International Piano Competition "Arthur Rubinstein" in Tel Aviv. In both I also won the public award, and to all this we must add the Gold Medal of the City of Seville and the First Prize in the Berlin Steinway Competition in 2015. But I never forget the saying that "Winning a prize does not depend on you. Deserve it, yes."
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About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
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A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.