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Can anyone tell me what is the piece that Lydie Solomon is playing at 2:47?

She is playing an excerpt from this:

Grande fantasie cubaine by Nicolas Ruis Espadero

https://youtu.be/IW3h0mhxQYI

Thank you, deerfield!!! I just listened to the entire piece and I love it! I now have a first pianistic goal. Since you pointed out the full length street performance by Lydie Solomon, I found a recital performance by her on Youtube too (at 2:22):

I think it will be some time before I can even attempt this piece since it is so much higher than my present lowly grade level. But I'd like to get the sheet music and just look at it for motivation in my weekly piano lessons

However, that said, just obtaining the sheet music appears to be a tall order since, although Espadero passed 128 years ago, and clearly this work has long been out of copyright, even IMSLP doesn't have a copy of the sheet music, nor it seems does Amazon.com. Are there places I should be checking for sheet music for rare musical scores such as this one? Even the Spanish language wikipedia doesn't list it. Maybe the real name of this piece is different and not "Grande fantasie cubaine"?

This work appears so rare and Espadero, so forgotten, that it seems that Lydie Solomon may be the only profession playing his works, at least from what I can see on Youtube. And this is sad, because it is just gorgeous.

It seems the only place so far to get a copy of the music is from the National Museum of Music in Cuba. You might consider emailing them for more information.

http://www.museomusica.cult.cu/publicacion.php?id=4

Thanks again, deerfield! Since this museum is not on the State Department's restricted list, I was thinking that theoretically I could wire the museum the money for a copy. But then I had a Spanish-speaking friend scour the Internet for me for a copy of the score to Grande fantasie cubaine, and he found that there is a copy of the score hiding in this bio of Espadero. BTW, besides Lydie Solomon's multiple rendition of Grande fantasie cubaine, the only other performance on Youtube is an old recording by the Cuban pianist/historian who is the author of this book. So I just snagged the last copy - a collectible sitting in a Cuban bookstore in Florida! I feel like after I get it, I should scan the score onto somewhere, like on Musescore.org, so that this beautiful piece can be rediscovered after 160 years, and is not lost forever.

I will post a link to the score here in this thread after I put it up.

Fantastic sleuthing! I would be interested in taking a peek at the score if you get a chance to procure it. I thought the piece (and performance by Lydie) was charming, and was vastly tickled the tropical rhythm. It really deserves more attention. Thank you for this great find!

Can't claim credit since it was my south of the border friend who managed to track a score into a bio! I would never have even thought to look there.

My copy is scheduled to arrive in a week and then I will work on scanning it and importing into Musescore. So check this thread in two weeks.


I am entirely captivated by this piece. I have listened to a number of Lydie's performances as I find her playing charming, especially after I watched a video of hers where she discussed how she overcame small hands as a professional pianist:

But, I certainly haven't watched every video of hers, and I missed all of her Grande fantasie cubaine performances, until I found that snippet I started this thread with. It's just a delightful piece and it is sad how such a piece can be almost completely forgotten. I'll be interested to ask Lydie how she rediscovered it in the first place. It appears she deserves the appellation, le Grand Découvreur.


Well, I'm wondering what locations I can upload this to in order to get it more attention. Certainly I can put it up on Musescore.org and free-scores.com. But the right place would be IMSLP.org, only I don't know if I can do that since although the music has long been out of copyright, the book it is being taken from is not. If anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Did you ever receive the book? Does it have the score included as you had anticipated?! Please update!

I actually have the score now directly from the Cuban retired professor that wrote the book, but score still needs work. The original manuscript was lost and then found many years later, but parts of it were damaged. There is only one copy in the museum in Havana. Send me a PM to discuss.