Under the bare wood of the Williams Arts Center auditorium, the Gavilán Brothers presented an acoustic performance on Saturday night.
With Ilmar Gavilán on violin and Aldo López-Gavilán on piano, the duet performed a collection of 10 songs from their album “Brothers,” which debuted in 2019.
The brothers’ respect for each other was on full display, as Gavilán would, with a nod of appreciation, turn to López-Gavilán during his solos, nodding his head, closing his eyes and smiling.
With only 400 seats, the Williams Arts Center helped procure an intimate performance, complete with background information and lighthearted jokes from both brothers between songs.
“We provoke each other, even when it doesn’t work, it’s fun,” said Gavilán after “Hermanos,” a seven-minute number that led to big applause from the audience. “That’s the beauty of live music.”
The flexibility of the brothers was not only evident in their performance, but also in their words.
After “Momo’s Tale,” Gavilán stopped what he was saying, looked down at his violin and laughed. “This violin is from 1712,” Gavilán said. “It’s more expensive than my house, my car and the boat I don’t own. Hopefully, you can hear it, otherwise it would be a waste.” Gavilán smiled as he received a resounding laugh from the audience.
Throughout the performance, audience members were seen with their eyes closed, hands flowing through the air and with imaginary violin or piano at their disposal.
For some students, this was more than a performance, as it tied into themes that had been previously discussed in their classes. In Professor Sidney Donnell’s “Latinx” First-Year Seminar, students watched the documentary “Los Hermanos/The Brothers” (2021) which focused on the life and music of the Gavilán Brothers, serving as a precursor to the performance.
“In the documentary, you can only hear such music and composition, but in real life, it really speaks to you and you can feel the emotion behind every piece,” Brayan Hernandez ‘28, a student in the class, said. “Their performance transcended the boundaries of contemporary Latin music.”
This awe was shared by other students who attended the performance.
Graham Silberfein ‘28 went to the performance on a whim and was unsure of what to expect.
“It was calming, it was therapeutic, it was a delightful surprise,” Silberfein said.
In totality, the Gavilán Brothers’ performance spoke to the audience and highlighted how music can make them feel.
“The main elements of music are melody, rhythm and harmony,” Gavilán noted towards the end of his performance. “Play with the shadow and feel the shadow.”
“Sometimes the music pieces my brother creates are extremely complicated, but that’s the art behind it,” Gavilán said. “It’s a different genre of music that you can’t play without knowing classical music.”
