Record breaking pianist takes new bride

Sixty-one-year-old Hungarian pianist Charles Brunner, who holds the record in the Guinness World Book of Records for the category of the longest piano playing individual marathon, said I do to Latifah Colleen Eden Cabrera on August 11.

Brunner spoke to Newsday about his romance between himself and his 26-year-old “brand-new” wife. He said: “It was the end of June in 2010 when Latifah, her mom Sonia and her younger sister JoHannah walked into my music-school asking for tuition for the two girls. Obviously when I saw Latifah there was an instant connection, I trust, from both sides…I was all by myself in the business so I not only offered the lessons but a part time job as secretary for Latifah, hoping she will spend more time with me.”

According to Brunner, his plan worked, as within a short space of time there was a very strong attraction between them.

Eight years ago, on August 9, Brunner asked Cabrera out on their first date. He said: “Without thinking she said ‘yes’ and we had a wonderful time at a spoken word and music concert at which I performed. The rest is history.”

It was only a few weeks later that Brunner proposed to Cabrera. He recalled: “I asked Latifah if she would share her life with me… she said ‘yes’ again and we started our life together as ‘teacher-student’, ‘man-woman’, as best friends and took the risk of people’s looks and comments which did not take long. At first it was very strange and weird to experience all that but after a while we got used to it and being able to totally ignore it!”

Brunner said even after the wedding they are still subjected to snide remarks. Focusing on his young love he said: “Latifah is a very beautiful and honest person, inside and out, very smart and living with very disciplined ideas about life. She took the risk of living with a 35-years-older man without marriage, took the sudden comments from her family and some of the people who came to my school… some of those have left some of them stayed and still are with us… different people, different opinions. Latifah went from zero to Grade eight on piano, Grade five on classical guitar and Grade five in Music Theory under my tuition.

“She has been my number one supporter at my 2010 Guinness World Record breaking of the Longest Marathon Piano Playing individual category which we did at (then) Crown Plaza hotel in Port of Spain with 111 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds. Our relationship was quite fresh then, as we were together for about two months. But it seemed we are a “long-time couple” already.”

Brunner said as his music school was blooming, in 2012 the couple moved into their present location in North-Valsayn which is also their home.

In 2016 the couple went on their first vacation together to Europe.

He said: “Being from Hungary, the plan was London, Paris, Budapest. It was a fantastic vacation and although I have been to those places already several times it was different for me as I went there with the person I was planning to spend the rest of my life together.

“Everything went very well until March 2017, Latifah went through a very dangerous life-threatening health condition and I believe ‘surviving’ that together brought us even closer together. That was one of the reasons we decided that this year we are going to get married.”

The couple began planning their wedding last December. Brunner said: “We are a couple of ‘love for the first sight’, we work and live together since September 2010. Latifah is still pursuing her music studies, going for a diploma soon. I am working on this year’s Christmas Joy with Mac Farlane and we are planning our honeymoon for next year since this year was too busy but we are going to Europe again.”

The couple is also planning to extend the music school and have even more significant concerts in the year of 2019, including his own original musical theatre play Flying High, which he has been working on for the past two decades. “All that I could not do without the love of my life, Latifah Brunner. And although the age difference might seem a bit steep, we do not feel it at all. Just like our wedding song says: ‘Never Enough’ from the ‘Greatest Showman’.”

Brunner first came to TT in 2006 having been married Trinidadian Verlier McLeod while working on a cruise ship with her.

McLeod was with him when he embarked on breaking the record at the Trinidad Hilton that year, after attempting to do so in 2004, when he got to 58 hours and 26 minutes, and again in 2005 when he achieved the record with 63 hours.

However, he said for some unforeseen reasons that marriage did not work out.

In 2008 Brunner played for 101 hours and seven minutes, surpassing the current world record which was set at 70 hours and 57 minutes by American Patricia Jones, who defeated Brunner’s previous record, before setting the new record in 2010, smashing the record of 103 hours and eight seconds set by Polish pianist, Romuald Kopersk.

He says they can now focus on their students and their future, with first preparing them for ABRSM Theory exam (November 3, 2018) and the Brian Mac Farlane Christmas Joy opening on November 17, at Queen’s Hall.

“Since 2015 I am the musical director for Mr Brian Mac Farlane’s annual Christmas Joy show and it keeps me very busy throughout the entire year, as I have to orchestrate and arrange, conduct and rehearse and also perform on those shows. Latifah is a great support in that work as well.”

The couple will end the year with an in-house Christmas concert tentatively planned for December 16.