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The Taiwanese dance group Cloud Gate and the Spanish ensemble of Jesús Rubio Gamo will close a month of dance that opens with Led Silhouette.

 

The Auditorio de Tenerife offers three dance shows in December, two of them in large format: 13 Tongues by the company Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, which will have two performances on the 20th and 21st of December. Acciones sencillas (Simple actions), a proposal by Jesús Rubio Gamo, takes place on the 22nd. The Moving Arts Festival FAM offers tickets for these three shows at 15 euros each, with special discounts available for those under 30, students, unemployed individuals, and large families.

13 Tongues, created by the choreographer and artistic director of the Taiwanese company, Cheng Tsung-Lung, is based on his memories of his mother's stories about a popular storyteller who is said to have fascinating abilities. This show is an immersive experience of bright colours, shapes and images. During the performance, the dancers depict the vibrant life and culture of Taipei's oldest neighbourhood, home to the ensemble's director. They dance to a mix of Taiwanese folk songs, Taoist chants, and electronic music. 13 Tongues is currently touring Spain thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture R.O.C. (Taiwan) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain

On the other hand, the Madrid-based dancer and choreographer Jesús Rubio Gamo develops his work under the premise of the complexity of simplicity. Five flamenco dancers and three flamenco singers perform in Acciones sencillas, including Blanca Paloma, Spain's representative at Eurovision 2023. It is a co-production with the Conde Duque Contemporary Culture Center Madrid, the GREC Festival of Barcelona and the Festival Romaeuropa. The piece was nominated for Best Choreography at the 2021 Critics’ Awards of Catalonia.

On December 16th at 7:30 p.m., the Symphony Hall stage will host "Los Perros" (The Dogs), a performance by Led Silhouette and Marcos Morau. The audience will also be seated on the stage for this event. "Los Perros" aims to inspire a sense of resilience to discover the purpose of our lives and to overcome violence and adversity together.

The tickets are available 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 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The details of the FAM programme are available at www.famtenerife.com. FAM has the collaboration of the Dance on Stage and Acieloabierto Circuit, both of the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music of the Spanish Ministry of Culture INAEM.

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Organist Pilar Cabrera features this Sunday's matinee, ˊPromenadeˊ, which will also include works by Bach and Mussorgsky

The organ concerts continue at the Auditorio de Tenerife with Promenade. On this occasion, the organist from Granada, Pilar Cabrera, features the matinee, which will take place this Sunday (3rd) at noon in the Symphony Hall. The programme, with works by Bach and Mussorgsky, includes the world premiere of Ofrenda lírica, by the Valladolid-born Jesús Legido. The concerts with this unusual instrument, unique in the world in its layout and timbre, are offered in collaboration with the San Miguel Arcángel Royal Canarian Academy of Fine Arts (RACBA

The programme Promenade will start with the baroque timbres full of peace and tenderness of Johann Sebastian Bach. The prelude to the chorale O Innocent Lamb of God begins by evoking the traditional cornemuse of shepherds. It continues with a ternary rhythm: the traditional rhythm of the pastoral (metaphor of the lamb) before concluding with fanfares that justify the final supplication: "Grant us Thy peace". The organist will then perform the Trio in G Major, a transcription produced by Bach of the Allegro moderato of his Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord BWV 1027.

The lyrical Ofrenda lírica by the Valladolid composer, framed as a tribute to Bach, will bring out the romantic timbres of the instrument through the three movements. The first, the Prelude-chorale, adopts a solemn and vibrant character in which the manual keyboards dialogue with the pedal of the organ. The central Berceuse is a short piece in contrast to the two movements at each end with a more virtuosic character. The third movement, Toccata in tempo agitato, unfolds in persistent semiquavers before reaching a small meno mosso central episode with a more peaceful and calm character and then returns to the initial tempo to end brilliantly in powerful chords.

Lastly, the Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky will enable us to listen to all kinds of different timbres, in the majestic transcription for organ produced by Keith John. This work, inspired by the sketches, drawings, and watercolours of Viktor A”. Hartmann, is, in Pilar Cabrera's own words, an "extremely original and unprecedented work".

Built in the 20th century by the prestigious organ builder Albert Blancafort and his team, the organ of Auditorio de Tenerife is considered a unique instrument for its design, but also for its sound and musical ranges. The sounds are produced by 3,835 pipes that are housed in the walls of the emblematic Symphony Hall, some of them visible, which are controlled by the organist from on-stage through the console and the four keyboards that he can play.

Born in Granada, at the age of fourteen she made her debut on the historic organ of the Imperial Church of San Matías. She trained at the Conservatoires of Granada, Malaga, Seville, Barcelona and the Higher School of Music in Düsseldorf, and undertook further studies with Montserrat Torrent (Barcelona, Spain), Daniel Roth (Paris, France) and Rosalinde Haas (Frankfurt am Main, Germany).

The multi-award-winning artist has been performing internationally as a soloist organist since 1982, and together with various ensembles such as a duo with trumpet, duo with oboe, percussion, brass ensemble, traditional instruments, choir, chamber orchestra and symphony orchestra.

Her interest in promoting contemporary composition for organ has led her to premiere works by the prestigious composers Jesús Legido (Valladolid), as on this occasion, Miguel Pérez (Malaga), Ronald Watson (England), Lee Axford (England), and Guido Donati (Italy).

At present, Pilar Cabrera combines her concert activity with teaching and liturgical work. She is a teacher at the Official Music Centre of Castile, an organist in the Church of Saint Andrew the Apostle, and at the Cathedral of Valladolid, where she works intensely as a soloist, educator and disseminator of the vast organ repertoire, and thus far she has recorded 45 CDs.

Tickets can be purchased at a single price of €15 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 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check the special discounts for the audience under 30 years of age, students, unemployed, and large families.

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The performing arts programme also includes shows by the companies La Rous, Príamo Estudio and Daniel Doña.

 

The performing arts programme Oye toca ver is offering nine shows this week by four companies. The schedule notably includes the world premiere of Panza de burro (Sea Cloud) by the company Delirium Teatro. The offer also includes Vacío (Voids), by La Rous; Ruido (Noise), by Príamo Estudio, and Retrospectiva 2.0 (Retrospective 2.0), by Daniel Doña.

On Friday (1st) at 8.30 p.m., the Auditorio Capitol de Tacoronte will host the first performance of Panza de burro (Sea Cloud), the latest project by the Tenerife company Delirium, which details the world of two 10-year-old friends in a neighbourhood of northern Tenerife in a stark and funny way. The two girls, Shit and Isora, live under the protection of the female world of grandmothers. Shit idolises and blindly follows Isora, who is an orphan and suffers from an eating disorder. Both spend summer between boredom, looking for someone to take them to the beach and trying to satisfly and understand the nascent sexual desire that constantly shakes and attacks them, inland, confined under the disappointment of a melancholic sea cloud.

The company La Rous will begin its tour of four performances on the island at the Auditorio of Guía de Isora. On Friday (1st) at 8.00 p.m., it will offer Vacío (Voids), a plot revealing a journey over eighteen years with two parallel stories: that of a girl who comes into the world and that of a mother who welcomes her with open arms, with unconditional love. Both undertake different stages of the journey, periods full of unanswered questions, moments of emotion, landscapes, and voids. La Rous will perform on Sunday (3rd) at 8:00 p.m. at the Casa de la Cultura in Los Realejos and will continue next week in El Sauzal (8th) and Adeje (10th), also with the same starting time.

Retrospectiva 2.0 (Retrospective 2.0) is the work that the company of Daniel Doña is bringing to Oye toca ver. The first of the two scheduled shows will be on Friday (1st) at 8.30 p.m. at the Paraninfo, University of La Laguna, while on Sunday (3rd) at 8.00 p.m., it will be at the Auditorio Infanta Leonor (Los Cristianos, Arona). This show encompasses a catalogue of feelings which, at times, takes the form of a danced conference in which Daniel Doña looks back at, delves into, and acknowledges the work he has been carrying out over the last decade as a director and choreographer of his own independent dance company.

Jose Padilla from Tenerife is the author of the text and responsible for the direction of Ruido (Noise), by the company Príamo Estudio and produced by Ángel Verde. This work will be staged on Saturday (2nd) at 8:00 p.m. at the Cultural Space Cine Viejo in Candelaria, and the following day at 7:00 p.m. at the auditorium of the University of La Laguna. Padilla allows us to discover the story of Sara, a former participant in a talent show who was once successful, she is summoned for a possible hiring by Valentín, a very peculiar event organiser. He aims to organise a concert with Sara within a possible deadline -including a band- in a place that seems completely unlikely to be a possible venue for a musical event. Sara needs the money, Valentín seems to be in a hurry for the deal, however, not everything is as it seems.

The performing arts programme Oye toca ver is organised by the Island Council of Tenerife with the councils of Adeje, Arona, Candelaria, El Sauzal, Guía de Isora, Los Realejos, Tacoronte, and the University of La Laguna. It consists of 41 performances by thirteen companies and ends on 17 December.

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The orchestra's oboe player performs in this Friday's programme, which will be conducted by Lucas Macías.

 

The oboe player of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Carlos del Ser, is making his debut this Friday (1st) as a soloist in this orchestra’s season subscription concert. Del Ser will star in the Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra by Mozart, which will conclude a programme that will involve the conducting of Lucas Macías and also include works by Schubert and Brahms. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Symphony Hall of the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín.

The evening starts with the Overture in C major in the Italian style, D. 591, Op. 170 by Franz Schubert, a score written in 1817 under the influence of the Rossini fever that swept across Europe at the start of the 19th century. It is a fresh, agile, and direct composition that perfectly displays the influence of Italian music in Europe.

Following this, the orchestra -with Del Ser Guillén as soloist- will perform the Concerto for oboe and orchestra in C major, K. 314 (285d) written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1777 and dedicated to Giuseppe Ferlendis, principal oboe of the Court Chapel of Salzburg.

After the interlude, the orchestra will perform Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73, by Johannes Brahms. It is possibly the most serene and gentle of the four symphonies by the German composer, who only took four months to create it, which occurred in 1877 during his stay at the summer home of some friends.    

Carlos del Ser Guillén has been the solo oboe player with the Symphony Orchestra for a little over four years. He began his oboe studies at age 8 at the Conservatoire of Valladolid. After obtaining a Degree in Oboe from the Higher Conservatoire of Music of Salamanca, he continued his training with Roland Perrenoud and Maurice Bourgue at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Geneva where he acquired the Diplôme de Musicien d'Orchestre and the Diplôme de Soliste “avec distinction” and he refined his training in Breisgau (Germany) with Lucas Macías, who he will be reunited with this week at the Auditorio de Tenerife.

Del Ser was previously a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, where he played under the guidance of conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Daniel Harding, Frühbeck de Burgos, Valery Gergiev and Philippe Jordan, among others. Between 2010 and 2014 he was second oboe of the Orchestra Mozart of Bologna conducted by Claudio Abbado. He has also collaborated with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.

The oboe player of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra has also collaborated with the Orchestra of Cadaqués, the Ensemble Les Dissonances, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Münchner Kammerorchester, the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, the Suisse Romande, the Geneva Camerata, the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla y León, the Orchestre de Chambre of Lausanne, the MusicAeterna Perm, the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, the Opera of Zürich and the Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino.

Lucas Macías, who is once again conducting the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, has been the lead conductor of the Oviedo Philharmonic since 2018 and has conducted the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, the Philharmonic orchestra of Buenos Aires, the Het Gelders Orkest, the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla y León, the Real Orquesta Sinfónica of Seville, Spanish RTVE Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic of Galicia, among others.

Macías trained as a conductor with Mark Stringer at the University of Music and Performing Arts of Vienna, at the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker and in Geneva under the supervision of Maurice Bourgue. In 2014 he made his debut as a conductor at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

Among his most recent engagements are his works with the Spanish National Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Community of Madrid and the Staatskapelle Dresden; as well as the Granada International Music and Dance Festival, conducting the City of Granada Orchestra, the San Sebastián Music Fortnight (Euskadiko Orkestra) and the Bal and Gay Festival (Galician Symphony Orchestra).

The Tenerife Association for Friends of Music (Atadem) is offering a free talk in order to contextualise the works of this sixth seasonal concert.  Lourdes Bonnet Fernández-Trujillo will give the lecture one hour before the concert at the Sala Avenida next to the hall of the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín.

The tickets for this concert can be purchased until the day of the event on the website www.sinfonicadetenerife.es, at the auditorium's box office and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

 

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The Barcelona-born music disseminator Ramón Gener returns to the Auditorio de Tenerife to reveal the keys to the next lyrical title of the season.

 

The Barcelona-born music disseminator Ramón Gener returns to the Auditorio de Tenerife with one of his musical lecture performances to reveal the keys to the next lyrical title of the season: Samson et Dalila, by Camille Saint-Saëns. This new event with Gener will take place on Tuesday (28th) at 7:30 p.m. in the Chamber Hall. Gener, who is also a writer, takes the opportunity to talk about French opera in general, always supported by his audiovisual equipment, his piano and his baritone voice. Tickets for this show are available for eight euros.

The cultural populariser and musician explains the different angles from which one can discover the keys to the title, which will be performed in a single concert on 9 December. It is a concert version of Samson et Dalila with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, the Choir Ópera de Tenerife-Intermezzo, and a cast of singers led by tenor Ivan Gyngazovla as Samson and mezzo-soprano Yulia Matochkina as Dalila.

Gener explains the plot, the emotions, the characters, the music, and the themes in an entertaining and accessible way, using contemporary similes and interpreting some fragments on the piano to reinforce his explanations. It is an opportunity for all those who want to learn more about this opera before the performance and even for those who have never been to an opera and want to know a little more before going.

Ramón Gener's fourth lecture in Tenerife at the Auditorio de Tenerife will be followed by other conferences throughout the opera season, always in the Chamber Hall at 7.30 p.m., with the protagonist in each case being the nearest opera. The last two dates with the popular communicator will be on 17 January with Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti (January), and on 21 February with the Auditorium’s own production Rusalka, by Antonín Dvořák (March).

Born in Barcelona, Ramón Gener holds a degree in Humanities and Business Studies. He began his studies as a musician at the age of 6 at the Higher Conservatoire of Music of the Liceu, training which he completed later with the pianist Anna Maria Albors. Through a recommendation from the soprano Victoria de los Ángeles, he began to study singing under her supervision. He finished his singing training in Warsaw with the baritone Jerzy Artysz and in Barcelona with the tenor Eduard Giménez. After a career lasting several years as a baritone, he began a new phase as a musical educator, offering conferences about classical music and opera.

The impact of these conferences led him to the world of television. First, at a regional level on TV3 with the programme Òpera en Texans, and then nationally and internationally with programmes such as This is Opera, This is Art, and 200, una noche en el Prado. His programmes have been recorded in Spanish and English; they have been broadcast and continue to be broadcast in many countries around the world. He currently collaborates with the radio programme No es un día cualquiera for the Spanish National Radio (RNE). He currently continues with his conferences, classes, and contributions to RNE. Likewise, he is immersed in preparing his new TV program and his new book.

The tickets for this conference by Gener are available 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 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check the special discounts for the audience under 30 years of age, students, unemployed, and large families.

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Eight students from the conservatories of the islands will participate during the 22nd edition of this soloist’s competition.

 

On Saturday (25th) from 4:00 p.m. onwards, the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martin welcomes the Regional Phase of the 22nd Intercentros Melómano Performance Prize. Entry is free until full capacity is reached. This national competition chooses the representative of the Canaries for the Final Phase of the Intercentros Melómano Performance Prize for Soloists (Professional Degree category).

The eight students from the professional conservatoires of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria who study different instrumental specialties will be heard during the auditions. Each candidate will perform a maximum of 15 minutes with a freely chosen repertoire.

On this occasion, the jury will be composed of the orchestra conductor Henoc Acosta Santana, the composer Miguel Ángel Linares Pineda, and the composer Laura Vega Santana. After the performances, the jury will deliberate and subsequently announce its decision.

The first participants to perform are Mirko Busto in the singing category, David Martín Gutiérrez on violin, and Gael Moreno González on tuba/euphonium.  After the intermission, Javier Cabrera Hernández will continue on the saxophone, Guillermo Almeida Sicilia on the percussion, Juan Diego Cardozo Armada on violin, Andrea Sabina Perera on clarinet, and Pablo Rosales Calzadilla on clarinet.

The first classified will be the representative of the Canary Islands in the final phase of the Intercentros Melómano, which will take place on 9 December in the Auditorium of the Council of Alicante. The final phase will involve the seventeen regional representatives who will try to win the prize. It consists of a concert tour all over Spain, including solo performances and concerts with symphony orchestras, such as the one performed by the European Youth Orchestra of Madrid, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Granada, and the Classical Orchestra of Vigo.

The initiative Intercentros Melómano by the Fundación Orfeo was created in 2002 to encourage the participation of pupils from music conservatoires in professional competitions. It is aimed at serving as a practical experience for musicians who will face an audience and a jury that assesses their performance together with their technical skills.

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The performance El lenguaje de las líneas will take place as part of the Arts and Movement Festival FAM programme this Friday.

 

As part of the Arts and Movement Festival FAM programme, the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín is offering the danced conference El lenguaje de las líneas (The language of lines) by the Andalusian choreographer and flamenco dancer Leonor Leal. The event takes place this Friday (24th) at 7:30 p.m. in the Chamber Hall. The tickets are on sale at a single price of €8 with discounts for people under 30, students, unemployed people, and large families.

The flamenco dancer and contemporary creator Leonor Leal has chosen to inhabit theatre through an innovative and different perspective. Thus, El lenguaje de las líneas (The language of lines) is presented as a danced talk. Leal, who operates within the terrain of nouveau flamenco, wants to share her concerns about the lack of written texts on flamenco. The body and the words of its author are the protagonists of this show.

After collaborating on the project Envoltura by Isabel de Naverán and Idoia Zabaleta in 2017, Leonor Leal began to focus in-depth on Antonia Mercé la argentina. This conference is based on that first encounter and is enriched by many others found along the way. El lenguaje de las líneas premiered as part of the Ahora Danza series at the Circus de Sevilla on 20 March 2019.

Leonor Leal is a unique flamenco dancer with solid training in classical and Spanish dance who found Flamenco to be the right vehicle for developing her talent. Her versatility enables her to adapt to very different contexts and tackle challenges that open up doors for her to continue to grow as an artist.

Tickets for this danced conference can be purchased at a general price of €8 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 10:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 02:00 p.m. FAM has the collaboration of the Dance on Stage and Acieloabierto Circuit, both of the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music of the Spanish Ministry of Culture INAEM.

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The performances are hosted by the municipalities of Los Realejos, Arona, El Sauzal, Adeje, Candelaria, and Tacoronte.

 

The performing arts programme Oye toca ver is offering two shows this week: Vida, by the company Javier Aranda, and Freak, by Amor Producciones. This initiative is organised by the Island Council of Tenerife with the councils of Adeje, Arona, Candelaria, El Sauzal, Guía de Isora, Los Realejos, Tacoronte, and the University of La Laguna.

The weekly events start on Thursday (23rd), at 8:30 p.m., at the Cultural Centre in Los Realejos, with the show Vida (Life). The actor and puppeteer Javier Aranda presents a story about two hands and the universe of a sewing basket. Vida is a play without words for puppets and actors, and it deals with the relentless and constant passage of time. The characters are born, they grow, reproduce themselves, and die in front of our eyes. Vida is therefore a constant movement forward with no turning back. It is an unstoppable and necessary journey for the cycle to begin again.

This play, which has won awards at the Feria Internacional de Huesca and in Fetén, among others, can also be seen on three other stages on the island. On Friday (24th), in the Auditorio Infanta Leonor in Los Cristianos (Arona), at 6.00 p.m., on Saturday (25th), in the Teatro El Sauzal, at 8.00 p.m., and on Sunday (26th) at 8:00 p.m., in the Auditorium of Adeje.

This week's offer of Oye toca ver is completed with the presence on the island of the company Amor Producciones and their play Freak, with the participation of Lorena López and Lara Serrano. Directed by Paula Amora, the play reveals the story of two women sitting on a sofa. The actresses, dressed as fairytale princesses, share their intimacies in the course of the play. The direct text provokes both embarrassment and laughter from the audience.

Freak offers two performances: on Friday (25th), at 8:00 p.m., at the Cultural Space Cine Viejo in Candelaria, and the following day, at 8:00 p.m. at the Auditorio Capitol in Tacoronte.

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The Auditorio de Tenerife welcomes 800 schoolchildren on the first day of concerts for educational centres

 

The Sinfónica de Tenerife familiarises the youngest schoolchildren with music through its proposal El Circo de Don Nicanor (Mr. Nicanor's Circus), by Victor Trescolí Sanz, texts by Mar Benegas, and illustrations by Ximo Abadía. Ana Hernández Sanchiz will be in charge of the direction and narration. On the first day, more than 800 students took part in the two performances held today (16) in the Chamber Hall of the Auditorio de Tenerife.

The following schools took part in this first educational activity organised by the Sinfónica de Tenerife: Rodríguez Campos and Deutsche Schule (El Rosario), Narciso Brito and Acaymo Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Camino Largo, San Benito, San Luis Gonzaga and San Bartolomé (La Laguna), Isabel la Católica and Santa Catalina de Siena (Santa Cruz), Alfonso X El Sabio (Güímar) and María del Carmen Fernández Melián (Tegueste).

More than 700 pupils from the following schools will take part on the second day: Príncipe Felipe (Candelaria), Julián Zafra (Güímar), Agustín Espinosa (Los Realejos), Mayco, Isabel la Católica Santonio and Salesianos San Juan Bosco (La Laguna), Hogar Escuela María Auxiliadora, Montessori, Aspronte (Santa Cruz) and Atalaya (La Matanza).

An ensemble of the Sinfónica de Tenerife plays the main role ij the adventures of an altruistic character, Don Nicanor. After rescuing several animals, Don Nicanor decides to open a special circus where everyone can show off their skills. The chamber music group consists of Eduardo Langarica on the violin, Joanna Hetherington on the cello, Esther Pinyol on the harp, and Eduardo Martín on the tuba. Ernesto Mateo appears as a guest soloist, playing the role of Don Nicanor and the toy piano.

The show can be seen on Friday in the former San Sebastián monastery in Los Silos. This is the third time that the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra has performed as part of the International Storytelling Festival. On Saturday, the orchestra will perform two sold-out shows for children under 3 and over 3 years old at the Auditorio de Tenerife.

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Next week, a coproduction between the Auditorio de Tenerife and the operas of Oviedo and Chile will be enjoyed on an 11-metre-high stage.

 

Ópera de Tenerife presents the second title of its 2023-2024 season: Manon, by Jules Massenet, in which the main character is torn between love and wealth. On 21, 23, and 25 November it takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Symphony Hall. The tickets are available for regular audiences for 25 euros (5 euros for the audience under 30 years of age), and there are also discounts for students, the unemployed, large families, and groups.

The details of this coproduction between the Auditorio de Tenerife, the Municipal Theatre of Santiago-National Opera of Chile, and the Opera of Oviedo were announced by the artistic director of the Auditorio de Tenerife, José Luis Rivero, the musical director, Christopher Franklin, the stage director, Emilio Sagi, and the star who plays Manon, the soprano Sabina Puértolas.

José Luis Rivero explained that "for us, this Manon is the first production with the Opera of Chile and one of the many that we have already tackled with the Opera of Oviedo”. The artistic director highlighted that "for Ópera de Tenerife, this is the premiere of Manon, as we had not staged it, so it will be a discovery for our audience”. Lastly, he wanted to highlight that "opera culture is more alive than ever”.

The soprano Sabina Puértolas admitted that since arriving on the island she has written to family and friends with "kisses from paradise”. “I love the Ópera de Tenerife and the affection with which we are treated here, we have formed a great team in order for the audience to feel the same as we do when we go on stage”. With regard to the lead role, she explained that "Manon is a girl who gulps up life, who doesn't see who her decisions may affect, and who does what she wants down to the logical conclusion”. For Puértolas, "Each production is different, and there are always nuances because I respond to inputs such as the acoustics of theatres and my colleagues on stage”.  

Christopher Franklin, who will lead the Sinfónica de Tenerife, recalled that Manon was one of the first operas he conducted. Despite the fact he has lived in Italy for many years, where Puccini's version of this story (Manon Lescaut) is more recognised, "I personally feel closer to the score by Massenet”. With regard to working with this title "that is unusual in the repertoire", he shared "the intensity of the days working on this great stage with stairs that revolve, difficult to organise and direct with the musicians from the pit and the singers on the stage”.

Emilio Sagi made his debut in December 2003 at the recently opened Auditorio de Tenerife with the opera L'equivoco stravagante by Rossini, production at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro. “I am returning 20 years later very happy with this Manon, work that I have always wanted to conduct, and the fact that these three theatres have awarded me this opportunity”. “It is a wonderful work, full of nuances that star Manon, a woman in a world of men, a poor young girl who has nothing, and who is sent to a convent by her parents, which was common at the time, and she has to manage in a world she doesn't know and is amazed by how high society lives" analyses the multi award winner from Oviedo. He quoted Borges, who in his stories wanted nothing other than to excite and entertain, to explain that "our job is to excite and offer the greatest possible show”.

This opera in five acts and six scenes has a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the novel Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 19 January 1884.

Manon is a very young character who oscillates between love at first sight, passionate love, and her desire for wealth and freedom. The story, which takes place in France under the reign of Louis XV in the 18th century, begins when Manon goes to the convent to fulfil the wishes of her parents, who are worried upon seeing her leaning towards earthly pleasures.

Then, she finds herself by chance in an inn with Chevalier Des Grieux, a young student. A single look suffices for them to fall in love. They decide to escape to Paris but the idyll is short-lived. Manon cannot live on loving alone and accepts the offer of a life of luxuries in exchange for being the lover of a rich lord, Guillot Morfontaine. Des Grieux is not willing to leave her and will follow her on a tortuous path.

The team of Sagi, which has worked on stage and on the artistic direction in national and international theatres, is completed with the stage design of Daniel Biano, 11 metres high and taking up 240 square metres of the Auditorium. It is inspired by the work of the 18th-century painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard to offer an eighteenth-century feel of luxury. The costumes, in a classic style, are by Pablo Núñez and the lighting design is by Eduardo Bravo.

Christopher Franklin will conduct the Sinfónica de Tenerife, which will be accompanied by forty voices from the resident choir Coro Titular de Ópera de Tenerife-Intermezzo, directed by Andrés Juncos, among whom there will be nine secondary singers with more notable roles.

The soprano Sabina Puértolas will be transformed into Manon, as she did in November 2022, at the première of this proposal at the Municipal Theatre of Santiago and last September at the Ópera of Oviedo. The Armenian tenor Liparit Avetisyan will play Le chevalier des Grieux, the lover of Manon. The baritone Luis Cansino will be transformed into Lescaut, the cousin of Manon, and the bass Insung Sim will play Le Comte des Grieux, father of the gentleman suitor.

Guillot Morfontaine, a finance minister who will become obsessed with Manon, will be performed by the tenor Gillen Munguía, and Monsieur de Brétigny, a noble friend of his, will be played by the baritone Lorenzo Barbieri. The soprano Inés Lorans and the mezzo-sopranos Claire Gascoin and Christina Campsall will play the roles of the actresses Pousette, Javotte, and Rosette, respectively. The bass Abraham García will sing the roles of the innkeeper, the doorman of the Saint Sulpice seminary, and a croupier. On the other hand, 21 extras will complete the scenes.

Jules Massenet was born in the French area of Montaud, close to Saint-Étienne, on 12 May 1842, and he died in Paris on 13 August 1912. Throughout his life, this musician of French Romanticism was highly renowned for his opera work, although in his compositional work, he dealt with other registers, from ballet to oratorios and cantatas, to songs, orchestral works, and compositions for piano. His operas were very popular in the period between the centuries, from the end of the 19th to the early 20th century.

The tickets for the performances of Manon are available 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 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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The Auditorio de Tenerife will receive 1,591 schoolchildren this week. Saturday’s session will be exclusively for families.

 

This week, the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra begins its educational concerts season with El circo de Don Nicanor (Mr. Nicanor's Circus), by Victor Trescolí Sanz, texts by Mar Benegas, and illustrations by Ximo Abadía. Ana Hernández Sanchiz will be in charge of the direction and narration. The event begins on Wednesday and Thursday with the visit of 1,591 schoolchildren to the Chamber Hall of the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín, and ends on Saturday (18) with a concert for families. Both performances are sold out.

An ensemble from the Sinfónic de Tenerife (Tenerife Symphony Orchestra) will perform the first concert of the 2023-2024 season. It presents the adventures of an altruistic character, Don Nicanor. After rescuing several animals, Don Nicanor decides to open a special circus where everyone can show off their skills. The chamber music group consists of Eduardo Langarica on the violin; Joanna Hetherington, on cello; Esther Pinyol, on harp, and Eduardo Martín, on tuba; Ernesto Mateo appears as a guest soloist on the toy piano.

On Wednesday and Thursday at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m., it will be the turn of the 1,591 preschool children from 26 schools of nine island municipalities. The following day, a new performance takes place in the former San Sebastián monastery in Los Silos as part of the International Storytelling Festival.

Ernesto Mateo, a pianist and composer from Gran Canaria, is working professionally at the Higher Music Conservatory of the Canaries. The soloist has more than 60 works, including operas, electronic music, children's pieces, tongue twisters for choir and even a concerto for toy piano and orchestra. His music has been performed in France, Italy, Mexico, and Uruguay.

Mateo has performed his own music and that of other authors on the piano, toy piano, synthesiser, and all kinds of keyboards throughout the Canary Islands. In addition, he has taken part in festivals for classical, early and modern music.

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The programme, with Chopin, Weinberg and Prokofiev, includes a suite by Szpilman, Holocaust survivor and main character of ˋThe Pianistˊ.

 

The pianist Yulianna Avdeeva performs Resiliencia this Tuesday (14th) at 7:30 p.m. in the Chamber Hall of the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín. The programme includes works that are marked by the instability of the times in which their composers lived, including Władysław Szpilman (1911-2000), Holocaust survivor and main character in Roman Polanski's film The Pianist (2002). Szpilman's son gave Avdeeva the score of the suite, which was thought to be lost and can now be heard in the Auditorio.

In addition to Szpilman's work The Life of Machines, Avdeeva will perform the Piano Sonata No. 4 by Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996), who fled to Poland in 1939 after his family was murdered by the Nazi regime; Piano Sonata n. 8 by Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953), who after living in the United States and Paris, returned to the Soviet Union in 1936 suffering a hardened political environment, and Polonaise-Fantasie by Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), exiled in France after the failure of the Polish revolution of 1830.

The title of this programme, which is also the title of one of Avdeeva's CDs, refers to the resilience of these composers and their works, which means their ability to overcome traumatic circumstances such as death, war or accidents. At the heart of this album is Szpilman, the Polish Jew who survived the Second World War thanks to the power of his music. Inspired by the unique opportunity to play the piano in Szpilman's home, this CD project helped Avdeeva face the challenges of our time.

Wladyslaw Szpilman's son, Andrzej Szpilman, not only gave Avdeeva the scores for the piano suite The Life of Machines (1933), but also for Mazurek (1942). Together with his Concertino for Piano and Orchestra (1940) and Waltz in the olden style (1937) they are the only extant pieces Szpilman composed before or during World War II.

The autograph of the Suite was considered lost, and, according to Andrzej, his father was not able to restore the 1st and the 2nd movements after his traumatic experiences during the Holocaust and World War II. It was not until 2000 that the personal copy of the 1934 suite was returned to Szpilman's son.

In his Suite, the pianist reflects on industrialization with a sense of humour by musically assigning human adjectives to the machines. It gives us a glimpse of what Szpilman might have composed if he hadn't experienced the atrocities of the World War.

Yulianna Avdeeva earned international recognition at the 2010 Chopin Competition, winning First Place with a "detailed way of playing" that "matched Chopin's own", according to The Telegraph. Among her many orchestral collaborators are the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, the Baltimore Symphony with Marin Alsop, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra with Kent Nagano, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Vasily Petrenko, and the London Philharmonic with Vladimir Jurowski.

She has given public performances in the world's most prestigious concert halls, and she is also a regular guest at the Chopin festivals and the La Roque-d'Anthéron International Piano Festival. After recording the Chopin concerts with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century and Frans Brüggen (2013), Avdeeva released three solo albums, including works by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, and Prokofiev. Her chamber music recordings of Mieczyslaw Weinberg with Gidon Kremer have been released by ECM Records (2017), as well as Deutsche Grammophon (2019).

The tickets can be purchased at a single price of €15 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 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check the special discounts for the audience under 30 years of age, students, unemployed, and large families.

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