The National Symphony Season Started Strong

On Sunday the season of the Symphony Orchestra began in the Covarrubias Ward of the National Theater, with a tribute to Maestro Manuel Duchesne Cuzán. The show was permeated by the pulsating sound of the trumpet. Both the honored Maestro and the guests, the director Igor E. Corcuera Cáceres and the Spaniard Fran Rivero are great interpreters of this very charismatic instrument.

The program included the Overture to Don Giovanni, by Mozart; two Concertos for Trumpet and Orchestra (one by Haydn and one by Alexander Arutiunian); the unforgettable waltz from the Mascarada suite (of which the National Ballet created a powerful version); none other than the Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, from the ballet Spartacus, of Aram Khachaturian; the Concert in Aranjuez, of Joaquín Rodrigo, and a fabulous closing with Maestro Rivero's arrangement for My Way.

The young man from Córdoba, who began his studies at age 11, is a graduate of the Cristóbal de Morales and Manuel Castillo conservatories in Seville. At this moment he is a virtuoso with a rich curriculum, a professor, who has been invited to perform by various institutions and has shared the stage with international stars. Furthermore, he mixes and remakes his style, and seems to follow only a superior quality of the works he will perform, regardless of the styles they represent.

At the end of the concert, after a long standing ovation, the guest conductor addressed a few words of gratitude to the members of the Orchestra. He spoke of the complexity of the program and the difficulties of all kinds they faced.

He assured that it would have been impossible to undertake the excellent interpretation of the works without the talent and dedication of each of the members of the group. The audience responded with endless applause.

In truth, the work of these musicians should be recognized more often. Rehearsals can be exhausting, especially to complete the varied program like the one we enjoy, and which is, let’s say, the constant in those Sunday concerts under the direction of Maestro Enrique Pérez Mesa, to which he adds renowned national or foreign guests. Going through eras and styles of great musical authors, dissimilar from each other but all praiseworthy, requires enviable discipline and spirit.

It’s gratifying to see that despite so many difficulties, the nation does not stop preserving its cultural life. Festivals and events of multiple manifestations continue to be celebrated throughout the Island, to the joy of its people and visitors.

In the capital, the 2023-24 season of the National Symphony Orchestra has only just taken off. We have a few Sunday mornings left to enjoy and remember.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff