We celebrate Piano Day with the Madrid pianist Esther Toledano: “Many corners of Madrid inspire me”

This March 29th is celebrated the International Piano Day, but contrary to what happens with the majority of dates marked on the calendar, this day does not always fall on the same number. In 2024, for example, we will have it one day earlier, on March 28. The reason for this to happen is as curious as it is ingenious: Piano Day takes place on the 88th day of each year.

88 is a nice number. It is palindromic, has an easy rhyme and is aesthetically quite harmonious. However, none of these reasons is why this day falls on such a date. The cause makes much more sense than all this and It was the idea of ​​the German pianist Nils Frahm; who in 2015 had the initiative to mark the 88th day annually in our agendas to commemorate that the piano, as we know it today, has nothing more and nothing less than 88 keys. One key a day until reaching the most important date for lovers of this instrument.

The 88-key piano is an evolution of the original, the so-called harpsichord col piano e fortewhich was Created by the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori in the 18th century. The one we currently see in concerts and recitals dates from the late 19th century and it has remained practically intact until today. And that is the one that Esther Toledano plays with great mastery, the protagonist of Madrid Secreto today. She is, as she could not be otherwise in our midst and on a day like this, from Madrid and a pianist. Or pianist and from Madrid, depending on how you look at it. And since she was very little she has lived with her fingers rooting us in this instrument.

Esther Toledano, the Madrid native who was born to play the piano

Of girl I lived in front of Parque del Oeste and now his neighborhood is Chueca. Esther ToledoDespite his last name, he was born in Madrid and has practically spent his entire life on its streets. She is one of those Madrid women who, without fear of seeing the world, enjoy the capital like no one else and cannot imagine a life far from it. Something that also happens with the piano. His relationship with the city is similar to the one he has with the 88-key instrument.: they have become inseparable. .«Every day I thank the piano very much for its existence in mine», recognizes us. And it is clear that it is true, it is talking about Madrid or the piano and a huge smile floods her face.

Music has been in the life of Esther Toledano the same as she was in the city of Madrid: from the beginning. In her cradle, her lullabies were none other than Beethoven’s sonatas Moonlight and the passionate and, while she was a boarder at a religious school, she took refuge in her notes to be able to disconnect. «I had a lot of loneliness in my childhood. I was a very imaginative and restless girl and the nuns didn’t like that very much, so my stay there was not the most pleasant. So I found out that music was a magical and unique way to escape from reality».

At the age of 7 he already knew how to play the first chords on the piano. It was her mother, also a pianist, who introduced her to this world. «The first song he taught me was Melodyfirst piece of album for youth by R.Schumann». And, since then, his passion for this instrument has not stopped growing. «A piano is a whole orchestra in a single instrument. As a soloist, you can play pieces from minimal registers to registers of many different colors and ranges. You can accompany instruments, singers, choirs, orchestras… The amount of possibilities that the piano has is an outrageous amount. And that’s powerful.”

From your living room to the Candlelight concerts in Madrid

It is noticeable, when he speaks and describes his profession, that Esther is in love with her work. She feels lucky to be able to dedicate herself to something that she is so passionate about and to be able to give the world a few minutes of her indisputable talent at every concert. «It is in those moments when I feel most alive. What I like most about my profession is that it gives meaning to my existence». A unique sensation that she never tires of experiencing. «Working giving concerts never becomes routine. It is exciting. He is always different ».

Some of the concerts in which we have been able to enjoy Esther Toledano (and we will continue to do so) are the Candlelight tributes to different artists and musical works. She has participated in Candlelight evenings honoring the greatest musicals or cHollywood classics but also in tributes such as those dedicated to Queen or to Ludovico Einaudi or Coldplay.

“It is an honor to be a musical ambassador of experiences as unique and magical as the Candlelight concerts”, says. He describes these concerts as “the fashion star event of the third decade of the 21st century” and is clear that “Candlelight contains all the perfect ingredients so that the resulting formula is not only special and unique, but magical. And be able to creating magic in the times we live in has a lot of merit! The human being needs a bit of that: magic and emotion.

Madrid through music

In the Candlelight tributes, Esther Toledano has had the opportunity to step on spaces as impressive as the Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Hotel Palace or Palacio Fernán Núñez. However, when she is asked about her native Madrid, she prefers the simplicity of everyday life. «Many of its corners inspire me. Parque del Oeste brings back beautiful memories. The Temple of Debod also inspires me for its peace and its history. And, of course, I love walking along the Gran Vía, meeting hundreds of people who are going to hundreds of destinations », he explains.

To enjoy music, in addition to spending hours glued to her inseparable piano, Toledano also has your favorite places in the capital. «As I like to combine dinner with drinks and music, I recently liked the Amazonian restaurant on Jorge Juan street. There is also another site that I was excited about not long ago. Is called Hero Cafe Show. It is very cool because they project on a screen the video clips of the music that is playing and it is very fun to watch them while you sing and dance ». Undoubtedly, two ideal places to celebrate International Piano Day And, why not, cross paths and dance with one of the most talented pianists from Madrid at the moment.

For those who prefer the quieter plans but also enjoy live music, in Madrid there are many Candlelight concerts scheduled for the coming weeks. And in many of them it will be Esther Toledano interpreting some of the most important works in the history of classical and current music. A golden opportunity to celebrate key number 88 on the calendar and to enjoy a unique musical experience by candlelight.