The P&F in F# Major, No. 13, was the only P&F I performed in college. My teacher at the time was Luis Gonzalez Rojas, a miniature (some 5’1″) tyrant of an artist, and exactly the teacher I needed when I entered college. Mr. Rojas spoke with an outrageous Cuban accent (milked for effect, I’m sure), walked with a limp from extreme spinal arthritis, and played elegantly and with the most beautiful, pearly tone I had ever heard. He held inviolable opinions about every piece, including this P&F, the prelude of which he had me play a left hand e instead of the Urtext’s d# in measure 10. He also required me to repeat all right hand trills in the left hand where the statement was the same, even if the score did not ask for it, although whether this was for artistic or pedagogical reasons I’ll never know. Mr. Rojas’ congestive heart failure finally caught up with him at the too-early age of 75 while walking his dogs just before Christmas, 2008. Precious little can be found of him online, due to the era and his professionally quiet life near Branson, Missouri, during the last forty or so years of his life. (Quiet does not describe the impact he had on his community, where he was celebrated for his beautiful playing and larger-than-life personality.) I cherish the cd I have of his playing, and the few photos.
This image is taken from one of his promotional photos. You can see the tyrant in him, and the artist.
