There is a duality at play between the repetition of recording and the spontaneity and unpredictability of duende - and to summon duende, the process had to be as free and fluid as possible: all sessions built up to a final complete 'recital'-take to capture the spirit of live creation.
This was masterfully recorded by Jean-Martial Golaz - a magician of sound who effortlessly played the timeless acoustics of La Salle de Musique, La Chaux-de-Fonds to create a soundscape from another time.
We intuitively found the golden balance to bring out the whispers of burning wind to the cries of flamenco from the old Steinway dating back to 1966 - the very same piano on which the great chilean pianist Claudio Arrau recorded Debussy's Images in 1979.
The soul of the piano was both conjured up and tamed by Corinne Wieland - a consummate piano technician.
My gratitude goes out to both of them - this team gave me the wings to take off and be free.
Teo Gheorghiu
"El duende..Where is the duende? Through the empty archway a wind of the spirit enters, blowing insistently over the heads of the dead, in search of new landscapes and unknown accents: a wind with the odour of a child's saliva, crushed grass, and medusa's veil, announcing the endless baptism of freshly created things."
Federico García Lorca