Marina Heredia sings El Amor Brujo with the OCG

Marina Heredia sings El Amor Brujo with the OCG

Marina Heredia is playing again Candelas, the character in El Amor Brujo by Manuel de Falla, this time with the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada under the baton of the Andalusian conductor Lucía Marín. In recent times Marina Heredia has become the most important interpreter of El Amor Brujo internationally, after singing this work together with some of the most important orchestras in the world such as the Chicago Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony or the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne, to mention just a few, and after recording it for the label Harmonía Mundi with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Pablo Heras-Casado.

As a result of the extension of the COVID-19 prevention measures in Andalusia announced on 22 November, which limit theatres, auditoriums and concert halls to a 40% of their capacity up to a maximum of 200 people, the concerts scheduled for 26 and 27 November at the Auditorio Manuel de Falla will be postponed to another date. However, the Ciudad de Granada Orchestra, in order to keep in contact with its audience, has decided to record the concert in an empty hall and broadcast it on the orchestra’s YouTube channel on Friday, 27 November at 8:00 p.m. The program includes El Amor Brujo as well as the Suite No. 1 from El Sombrero de Tres Picos, also by Manuel de Falla.

marina heredia amor brujo falla harmonia mundi

Marina Heredia’s most recent performance of El Amor Brujo took place in France with the Orchestra of Lille led by maestro Josep Vicent. New invitations will take her back to France to play this same role later this season. Upcoming events include the presentation of the cantaora’s new album.

 

 

 

 

New recording by Pacho Flores and Christian Lindberg

New recording by Pacho Flores and Christian Lindberg

Christian Lindberg and Pacho Flores have released a new recording for the label European Grammophon featuring arrangements of Bach’s Inventions for trumpet and trombone, which will be available on Spotify since October 21. This is not the first recording collaboration between Flores and Lindberg, who released the album FRACTALES for Deutsche Grammophon at the end of 2018 together with the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra. This recording included, among other concerts of the trumpet repertoire such as those by Haydn or Arutunian, the piece Akban Bunka, composed by Lindberg himself, which Pacho has performed all over the world. The album awarded Pacho the gold medal in the category of best instrumentalists at the Global Music Awards.

Nuevo Disco Pacho Flores Christian Lindberg

The Swedish composer, trombonist and conductor is writing a new concert for trumpet dedicated to Pacho Flores. The composition, which will soon be recorded, is a joint commission by various international orchestras such as the Real Filharmonía de Galicia in Spain, conducted by Paul Daniel, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Turkey and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, both led by Lindberg himself. In March 2019, Pacho Flores and Christian Lindberg, accompanied on that occasion by trombonist Ximo Vicedo and the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, participated in the world premiere of Un Sueño Morisco, a double concert for trumpet and trombone.

 

 

 

 

Christian Vásquez with the Gran Canaria Philharmonic

Christian Vásquez with the Gran Canaria Philharmonic

Christian Vásquez will conduct the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra on 5 and 6 November at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas in a program which consists on Schumann’s Genoveva Overture and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. This will be Christian Vásquez’s second visit to the Gran Canaria Philharmonic after his celebrated concert last September 2019, in which he conducted a varied program of Latin American and European music. The Venezuelan conductor has already worked with important Spanish orchestras such as the Galicia and the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestras, and he will soon make his debut with the Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias.

Internationally, Christian Vásquez has been Principal Conductor of the Stavanger Symphony in Norway, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Gävle Symphony in Norway and the Het Gelders Orkest in the Netherlands. He is also to this day Principal Conductor of the Teresa Carreño Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela. Christian Vásquez has also worked with other ensembles such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Camerata, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa), Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Berlin Konzerthausorchester, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Beethoven Festival Orchestra or Turku Philharmonic.

Christian_Vasquez_Noticia_ACM Concerts

In recent seasons, Christian has made important debuts with orchestras such as the Luxembourg, Rotterdam, Poznan, Turku and Helsinki Philarmonics, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Orchestra, Royal Danish Orchestra, Norway Radio Orchestra or the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland. After this visit to the Gran Canaria Philharmonic, Christian Vásquez will travel to Italy for his debut with the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra. Other engagements, both in Spain as well as in Europe and America, will be announced soon.

 

 

 

 

Hernández-Silva, Perles & Gutiérrez, Fidelio in Pamplona

Hernández-Silva, Perles & Gutiérrez, Fidelio in Pamplona

Less than a year after his acclaimed Fidelio in Malaga, Manuel Hernández-Silva conducts again Beethoven’s only opera at the Baluarte Auditorium in Pamplona with the Navarra Symphony Orchestra and the Orfeón Pamplonés in the opening concert of the OSN season. Soprano Berna Perles and tenor César Gutiérrez, who on that occasion debuted the roles of the heroine Leonore and Florestán, her unjustly imprisoned husband, will once again play the leading roles. Along with Perles and Gutiérrez, the cast is completed by Damián del Castillo (baritone) as Don Pizarro, Enric Martínez-Castignani (bass) as Rocco, Andrea Jiménez (soprano) in the role of Marcelina, Javier Povedano (bass) as Don Fernando and Pablo García-López (tenor) in the role of Jacquino. The performances, in concert version due to the Covid-19 restrictions, will take place next 14 and 15 October.

Manuel Hernández-Silva, Fidelio, Málaga

In addition to Fidelio, Hernández-Silva has already conducted other titles in Spain such as Così fan tutte at the Teatro Cervantes in Malaga; The Magic Flute at the Murcia Opera Season; Don Giovanni at the Gran Teatro de Córdoba and the Kursaal Auditorium in San Sebastian during the festival Quincena Donostiarra; or Doña Francisquita (again at the Gran Teatro de Córdoba), among others. He also recorded Haydn’s La Vera Costanza for CAPRICCIO with the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln and singers such as Simone Kermes, Chen Reiss, Rainer Trost and Paul Armin Edelmann. Manuel Hernández-Silva will soon return to the pit in Pamplona to conduct Manon Lescaut by Puccini, within the season of the Asociación Gayarre de Amigos de la Opera and with Ainhoa Arteta in the leading role.

 

 

 

 

Harpist Cristina Montes makes her debut with the OSPA

Harpist Cristina Montes makes her debut with the OSPA

Sevillian harpist Cristina Montes Mateo will make her debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias on 8 and 9 October at the Teatro Jovellanos in Gijón and the Auditorio Príncipe Felipe in Oviedo, respectively.  Under maestro Miguel Romea, she will perform the Concerto Capriccio for harp and orchestra (1975) by Xavier Montsalvatge. This concert was commissioned by the Orquesta Nacional de España and Nicanor Zabaleta -to whom it is dedicated-, who premiered it together with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos at the Teatro Real in Madrid on 18 April of that same year.

Cristina Montes completed her studies in London and at the Orchestra Academy of the Staatskapelle Berlin under the direction of maestro Daniel Barenboim. Based in Los Angeles, the Sevillian harpist has given recitals throughout Europe, the US, Japan and South America, and has worked with major international orchestras such as the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Orquesta Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, Orquesta de Santiago de Chile, Orchester des Theater für Niedersachsen Hannover or Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. In Spain she has performed with the Orquesta de Cordoba, the Malaga Philharmonic, the Valencian Community Orchestra and the JONDE (National Youth Orchestra of Spain).

Cristina Montes Mateo arpa

Her recordings include the album Obras para arpa, with 11 premieres by Spanish female composers; Voyage (NAXOS), with works by Bach, Sancan and Prokofiev, or her most recent album for the Spanish label IBS Classical, which includes among other the harp concerto Pour le jour de l’an, with the Moonwinds Wind Ensemble conducted by Joan Enric Lluna, and the Partita op. 80 for solo harp, both by Salvador Bacarisse. Since 2013, she teaches at the Joaquín Rodrigo Conservatory of Music in Valencia and gives master classes at the Berklee College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire or Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.

 

 

 

 

Manuel Hernández-Silva with the ORTVE at Teatro Monumental

Manuel Hernández-Silva with the ORTVE at Teatro Monumental

Manuel Hernández-Silva begins his symphonic season with the RTVE Orchestra at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid, along with flamenco star Estrella Morente and guitarist Pablo Saiz Villegas. The repertoire of this concert, wich will take place at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid next Saturday, September 19, includes several works such as El Sombrero de Tres Picos and El Amor Brujo by Manuel de Falla, as well as Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo.

Manuel Hernández-Silva will then travel to Pamplona to resume his activity as principal conductor of the Navarra Symphony Orchestra. He will begin with a recording of works by both current and past Navarrese composers, followed by the opening concert of the season. After that, he will conduct the first subscription concert, which will this year feature a concert version of Beethoven’s Fidelio with Berna Perles and César Gutiérrez in the main roles, the same leading couple he had in the staged version he conducted last year at Teatro Cervantes with the Malaga Philharmonic and the stage direction of José Carlos Plaza.

Hernández-Silva, Perianes, Integral Beethoven, Jaén

Later in the season he will conduct Manon Lescaut by Puccini for the opera season of the Asociación Gayarre de Amigos de la Ópera —also in Pamplona—, ​​with the voices of Ainhoa ​​Arteta and Roberto Aronica in the main roles. In the symphonic field he will return to work with orchestras such as Extremadura, Murcia, RTVE or Bogotá, and will recover his postponed debut with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, along with new debuts in Norway, France and Germany. This symphonic activity includes several premieres by composers such as Roberto Sierra, Pacho Flores, Manuel Moreno Buendía, Paquito D’Rivera, Koldo Pastor, etc.