Romayne Wheeler - El Concierto de la Alhambra

Simply put, this recording is a dream come true.

This is one of those few times in life when one can honestly say that.

In the winter of 2007 we went on a journey to Mexico.  A big reason for this journey was to return to the Copper Canyon.  A place I had been before in 1996 and went for a hike from Batopilas to Urique.  A hike that continues to effect the way I live my life.

In the time before the 2007 return journey to Mexico, I was up one night very late doing searches on the internet for the Copper Canyon. I somehow came up with a site about community radio of the Tarahumara, the indigenous community of the Copper Canyon area.  They had a link on there for a pianist that lived amongst the Tarahumara deep in the canyons.  It was overwhelming.  It was one of those too good to be true moments.  I decided to send an email to this pianist, Romayne Wheeler and see what this was all about.  He got back in touch and very nicely invited us to come visit him when we were to be in the area.  It was too perfect of a chance to pass up.

A few months later, after many hours of travel on airplanes, trains and trucks, there we were with Romayne on a 2000 meter high cliff overlooking the expanse of the Sierra Tarahumara.  The time we spent with Romayne there is worth its own page of script, but during the time we were there a dream began to plants its seeds.

When Romayne was 9 years old his parents took him to see Andres Segovia play in Santo Domingo.  There he saw the virtuoso play Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Tarrega.  It was a groundbreaking moment for Romayne who decided that from this moment on he wanted to dedicate his life to performing music.  During his training in Austria in the late 60´s he slowly taught himself to play this piece.  A very trying thing for a pianist as it can cause serious tendon damage due to all the complicated repitions. 

Now Romayne closes all of his performances with the piece, Recuerdos de la Alhambra, which he has adapted and extended for the piano.  He uses it as a meditation for the audience to inwardly contemplate the life journey that has brought them to the moment where they are at that instant.

Romayne had never performed in Granada.  Let alone recorded here.  So we began to dream about him coming to Granada to record with Wapapura in front of the Alhambra.

Well, the images you see here and the music you can hear are proof of a day none of us present will ever forget.  A far fetched dream come true.  A dream, that if you closely look at all the pieces that came together to make this happen, it is beyond what most of us think of as possible. 

The recording reflects well what materialized on that day.  A peaceful afternoon at the Carmen de las Tomasas with the storm clouds hovering over the mountains and the majestic Alhambra.  The breeze swirling in the trees of the Alhambra forest and the birds singing along to the notes of the piano that were flying all over the Valley in front of us. 

All the benefits from the download of this concert go directly to Romayne and the projects he has with the local Tarahumara community.  To learn more about the project please visit the link in the Environmental Projects section of this website.  And to learn more about Romayne please visit his page, Romayne Wheeler.

I want to thank everyone that made this possible.  You know who you are.

Enjoy and dream further......