The making of this CD, as a pianist, has brought me back to Berlanga's films through his music. On the one hand, it has been an intense and exciting process, due to the family bonds and the memories I have of the figure of my great-uncle Luis (although we all called him Uncle Luis). On the other hand, it has meant a titanic work of research, compilation, adaptation and in numerous cases, of transcribing this wonderful music directly from the movies. Difficult but very rewarding task, which would not have been possible without the materials and invaluable help of José Miguel Sanz, Bernardo Fuster, Enrique Algarra Martí, Chechu García-Berlanga, Isabel Latorre and the Royal and General Archive of Navarre.
I have put all my love and my own vision and interpretation of these soundtracks from my own adaptation to the piano. Working on them, I have realized that the music of these films also tells us about the evolution of Berlanga's cinema, and therefore, our history: from the sweet melodies of "Esa pareja feliz" (translation: That Happy Couple), to the most modern of "Paris Tombuctú", through the most popular music of "La Vaquilla" or that anecdotal collaboration of Piazzolla in "La boutique". Nor is the Mediterranean aspect of the Berlanguian world ever lost: the pasodoble of the aforementioned "La Vaquilla" and the Valencian dance of Blasco Ibáñez's header remind us of Valencia and his music bands. To add more emotion to this album, I have included an unpublished work by Maestro Tokó, Pepe Martí Alegre, Berlanga's maternal uncle, pianist and an important artist in Valencia at the beginning of the 20th century.
I remember with special affection one afternoon when, when I was little (I was 5 or 6 years old), I was at my grandparents' house in the London Hotel, and Uncle Luis was visiting. I was calmly drawing, he came over to see what he was doing, and what he told me was perfectly etched in my memory: «You are going to be a magnificent painter». Now, dear uncle Luis, with this CD, I draw the soundtrack of your films with the notes of my piano. PABLO GARCIA-BERLANGA