Professor Rafael Solano will turn 90 on Saturday, April 10, and with his career and musical work behind him, he deserves all the tributes that can be dedicated to him.
Mentor and inspirer of many performers from different generations and author of emblematic themes, not only of Dominican song, but also continental, Solano (born in Puerto Plata, in 1931) was the subject of an emotional tribute this Thursday morning, at the hands of the Ministry Culture.
“I’m very excited and above all surprised, but nothing about Doña Carmen (Heredia) surprises me, because she always loved me … she never tells me, but I know her”, said the author “For love”, obviously touched by surprise and showing good humor.
The event, which of course included a musical part in which several of his most important songs were performed, took place in the lobby of the above-mentioned ministerial building, a space that is very important for Solano’s career, as in the place where the first Song Festival took place, in 1968, and where his most transcendental song, “Por amor”, won first place, on the voice of Niní Cáffaro.
This detail was mentioned by Heredia when he used the word to thank the musician’s family for being able to flatter him. “Because it allowed us to celebrate another year of his extraordinary life and artistic career in the Dominican Republic and the rest of the world. Happy Birthday! “, Said the minister, who gave Solano a plaque and a portrait of him made by the painter Joaquín Sánchez.
The surprise of the activity was the participation of Maridalia Hernández, Niní Cáffaro and Lena Dardelet, who performed “In the Dark” and “A Spring for the World”, the first; “Magic” and “For Love”, the second; and “El ten de abril” and Dominicanita “, the third. The artists were accompanied on piano by pianist Elioenai Medina, as well as guitarists Héctor Payán and Emmanuel Peña Silverio.
The documentary of his life
Another 90-year-old gift from the Dominican teacher is for the public. It is the documentary “Solano”, produced by Patricia Solano, the daughter of the musician and director Juan Basanta, and presented by Urano Films, which was released on YouTube, so that everyone interested in knowing the life and work of this artist can do it through this audiovisual .
Made and presented in 2018, it is a work made with grace and an agile rhythm, it moves between conversations with the musician, interviewed by the communicator Patricia Solano, as well as the testimonies of many of its performers, such as Niní Cáffaro, Luchy Vicioso, Fernando Casado, Adalgisa Pantaleón, Marco Antonio Múñiz, Los Solmeños: Nandy Rivas and Horacio Pichardo, instrumentalists such as Guillo Carías, Armando Beltré or Tito Delgado and personalities such as Pedro Delgado Malagón and Ellis Pérez.
On the other hand, you can enjoy the songs in the voices of Víctor Víctor, Fernando Villalona and Janio Lora, among others.
A visual journey, beautifully photographed, through the life of one of the glories of national music, and in which he moves through the spaces where he developed his art, which reviews very well the historical moment that Rafael had to travel. Solano.