Concert this Thursday in the Chamber Hall

As part of its chamber-music cycle, the Auditorio de Tenerife presents Ensemble Sonido Extremo and baritone Toni Marsol in a programme that brings together emotion and beauty. The concert will take place next Thursday (February 5) at 7.30 p.m. in the Chamber Hall.

The concert brings two forms of understanding musical expression into proximity and dialogue. The first form is deeply rooted in Austrian tradition. Franz Schreker and Alban Berg led very different careers. However, both developed a new way to explore the human soul. In the first half of the 20th century, their musical language was at once new and familiar, revolutionary and conventional, emotional and psychological.

In musical dialogue with them, we shall hear Ravel and Fontcuberta. These composers are steeped in French tradition. In their works, timbre, poetry, the beauty of the moment, and refined elegance create a musical language. This language masterfully accompanies the poetry of Paul Morand and Albert Giraud. Two traditions are juxtaposed in a concert that also references the auditorium’s preceding season. It recalls the ensemble’s performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire.

The Ensemble Sonido Extremo, directed by Jordi Francés, is comprised of Elsa Sánchez (violin), Ana Valdés (viola), Iván Siso (cello), Jesús Gómez (flute), Alfonso Pineda (clarinet), Javier Evil González (saxophone), Sarai Aguilera (percussion) and Beatriz González (piano). Based in Extremadura, the group of musicians, committed to disseminating culture and art through music, defines its activity in the context of reflection on the abundance of musical languages that coexist today.

Since its creation in 2009, the ensemble has performed at major cycles and festivals in Spain and abroad. These include the Ciclo de la Fundación BBVA in Bilbao, Series 20/21 of the CNDM in Madrid, Quincena Musical Donostiarra, Festival Internacional de Santander, Colegio de España in Paris, Festival Ensems in Valencia, E.S.M. in Lisbon, Ciclo de Música Actual in Badajoz, Jornadas de Música Contemporánea in Segovia, Xornadas de Música Contemporánea in Santiago de Compostela, Festival del Museo Vostell, and Festival Moderna in Valencia. The group has premiered over 60 works. They have collaborated closely with composers such as José Río-Pareja, Inés Badalo, Jesús Rueda, and Mikel Urquiza.

Art Director Jordi Francés has built an interesting career characterised by his panoramic view of artistic creation. As a conductor, he has worked in opera—we saw him at the Auditorio de Tenerife last week as music director of Orfeo ed Euridice—, the symphonic repertoire and contemporary creation. He has also conducted the BBC Philharmonic, the Spanish National Radio and TV Orchestra (RTVE), the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra, and many other ensembles in Europe and the Americas. In recent years, he has collaborated regularly with the Spanish National Orchestra, the Extremadura Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Spain, and the Youth Orchestra of the Community of Madrid, and has also worked with the latter on projects involving opera, ballet, and musical theatre.

He received the honour award from the Higher Conservatory of Music of the Liceu of Barcelona. His career spans opera, oratorio, recitals, and contemporary music. He has given many premieres of modern composers, such as Carles Santos, Albert Guinovart, Mariona Vila, Domènech González de la Rubia, Diego Dallosto, José Río-Pareja, Joan Albert Amargós, Antoni Parera-Fons, and Raquel García-Tomás, among others.

He has interpreted roles in works by Mozart, including Figaro, Count Almaviva, Don Giovanni, Leporello, and Papageno. For Verdi, he has sung Germont, Yago, Falstaff, and Macbeth. He has also taken on signature parts in Donizetti operas: Dulcamara, Malatesta, and Don Pasquale. For Rossini, he’s performed Mustafa, Dandini, and Don Magnifico. In Puccini’s works, he has played Gianni Schicchi, Marcello, Scarpia, and Pinkerton.

In oratorio, his interpretations include Bach’s Passions and Handel’s Messiah. He has performed Requiems by Mozart, Fauré, Brahms, and Verdi; Haydn’s The Creation; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; and Orff’s Carmina Burana. He has sung with orchestras and choirs such as the Spanish National Radio and TV (RTVE), the Orchestra and Choir of Madrid ORCAM, Orfeón Donostiarra, Orfeón Pamplonés, Coro y Orquesta del Gran Teatro del Liceu, Sinfónica de Madrid, Coro del Teatro Real, Sinfónica de Navarra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Coro y Orquesta de la Comunidad Valenciana, and the Orchestra and Choir of the BBC in London.

The tickets can be purchased at a single price of €15 and €5 for audiences under 30 on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium’s box office, or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are discounts for students, the unemployed and large families.