Ricard Viñes a París

Like many other Catalan artists from the late 19th century, pianist Ricard Viñes (Lleida, 1875 – Barcelona, 1943) moved to Paris to continue his studies and complete his musical training. He arrived in October 1887, at only twelve years old, accompanied by his mother and his brothers. The Viñes family settled there amidst great difficulties. A few weeks after arriving, he was admitted as an external student at the Paris Conservatory. Almost at the same time, Viñes began writing a personal diary that constitutes the guiding thread of this exhibition. Soon, the young pianist became involved in some of the most active and innovative artistic, musical, and literary circles of the time. As he discovered the city, Paris became a decisive space in his intellectual and artistic formation. Among the Catalan artists who moved there, Viñes was one of those who established the most continuous and deep relationship, until he turned French culture into one of the central references of his trajectory. Well established in the artistic ecosystem of Belle Époque Paris, his career as an interpreter made him one of the most recognized pianists of his generation and one of the main promoters of new French music, establishing himself as a key figure in 20th-century music. Viñes also became a friend and defender of artists from various disciplines who arrived in the French capital and found in him support, complicity, and camaraderie. The exhibition dedicated to him by the Museu de la Música, within the framework of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of his birth, aims to bear witness to this trajectory marked by initial difficulties, perseverance, talent, and artistic passion, based on unpublished documentation. A trajectory that led a young Catalan pianist settled in Paris to occupy a relevant place on the European musical scene of his time.