Matanzas Symphony Orchestra to perform a romantic programme today at the White Hall (+photos)

Under the direction of Maestro Iván Valiente, the  Matanzas Synphonic Orchestra will offer today a programme that, as usual, will delight classical music lovers during the concert at 3:00 in the afternoon in the White Hall.

«The programme consists of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 or Exaltation of Dance, as many have called it, which Beethoven composed after a rather stormy period of his life and which is one of the favourite symphonies of many conductors.

«As I am a double bass player, I chose a double bass duet by Bottesini, which will be performed by Indira and Anaylis as soloists with an orchestral arrangement for small orchestra».

For Anaylis Placeres Suárez, a student at the Escuela de Arte, who will be the soloist alongside double bassist Indira Ramos, accompanying the Orquesta Sinfónica de Matanzas is a long-cherished dream, but one that has demanded extra from her given the demands of the piece and the challenge of playing it alongside the prestigious musical formation.

«For me it is an honour to play this duet with my teacher Indira and even more so to be conducted by her teacher Iván Valiente. We have been rehearsing for months, a lot of classes, effort, overtime.

«It has been a very nice and new experience for me because I have never played with orchestra accompaniment, it has always been with piano, as is normally done in schools. I find it very gratifying and it makes me very happy to take with me the memory that in the last year of my speciality I was able to play with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra, with my teacher and her teacher».

In addition to the demands of musical performance, the artists had to face other circumstances that made the presentation more difficult. With the availability of electricity in the concert hall only until 11:00 in the morning, rehearsal times were shortened.

See also: https://www.cubahora.cu/cultura/los-caminos-de-la-musica-clasica-en-matanzas-i-fotos

Despite the pressure, the double bassist, professor of Chamber Music at the Escuela Nacional de Arte and director of the Ensemble Solistas de la Habana, predicts the enjoyment of those who attend the concert hall.

«I think it will be a great concert anyway. Of course, we will do our best to make the audience feel at ease during the performance».

See also: https://www.cubahora.cu/cultura/los-caminos-de-la-musica-clasica-en-matanzas-ii-video

The days of rehearsal served the Maestro to recall the 26 years that the city of Matanzas has given him shelter, a period in which he also strengthened his bond with one of the oldest musical formations of its kind in the country.

«Sometimes people think I’m from Matanzas because of the 26 years I spent between Havana and Matanzas. From that period I know the work of the Symphony Orchestra, when it was valued as one of the best in the country.

«It was the time of Elena Herrera, Tomás Fortín and all the great conductors who passed through here, as well as others who came as guests, such as Maestros Francisco Belli, from Italy and Yoshikazu Fukumura, from Japan».

See also: https://www.cubahora.cu/cultura/los-caminos-de-la-musica-clasica-en-matanzas-iii-video

Valiente also offered an assessment of the work of the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra today, after several days of intense work with the musicians, most of whom are young. «All the orchestras in the country have had their bumps caused by problems, which I won’t go into again because they are well known.

«The orchestra is currently rebuilding itself, breathing new life into it. I have found an orchestra that is well prepared and it seems to me that it is on the right track. Hopefully it will be maintained, because the most difficult thing is not to be, but to stay. What it needs is institutional support and conditions to develop its work optimally,» he said.

The Concert for two double basses and orchestra, by Giovanni Bottesini and the Symphony number 7, by Beethoven, are the pieces that the Orquesta Sinfónica de Matanzas will perform today, conducted by Maestro Iván Valiente, from 3:00 in the afternoon in the White Hall.

This will be an unmissable invitation for those who like to oxygenate their lives with good art.

Photos: taken from the Facebook profile of the National Centre for Concert Music.

Written by Jessica Mesa.