JAÉN.- Another memorable evening provided by the 36th edition of the ‘Ciudad de Úbeda’ International Music and Dance Festival. The prestigious British violinist Daniel Hope, who enjoys a prosperous international solo career of more than thirty years, performed last Friday in the auditorium of the Hospital of Santiago, also leading the Córdoba Orchestra and with the participation of the soloists of the Cor de Cambra of the Palau de la Música Catalana.
It was a recital that stood out not only for its quality, but also for the variety in the proposed program, which could be enjoyed the day before in Córdoba. He included in the first part ‘West Side Story’ by Leonard Bernstein (suite for violin and strings by Paul Bateman) and ‘Misa criolla’ by Ariel Ramírez (version for violin, vocal quartet, percussion and string orchestra by Paul Bateman), two very different choices in which the violinist shone alongside the rest of the musicians and voices.
Regarding the second part, it was dedicated entirely to ‘The Four Seasons’ by Max Richter, a work that reimagines Vivaldi and which has already become a musical classic. Once again the audience was carried away by the virtuosity of Daniel Hope, celebrated for his musical versatility, who has been recognized with a series of honors including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Culture Prize for Music 2015, in addition to undertaking solo recitals, chamber concerts and concert collaborations with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. The music thus gave way to applause in a standing auditorium.
He was not the only protagonist of this fourth week of the Úbeda Festival, since on Saturday, in the same space, the guitarist from Rioja Pablo Sainz Villegas performed, who arrived in Úbeda after recently debuting with the Philadelphia Orchestra, becoming the third guitarist of history in playing with this prestigious North American group, after Andrés Segovia and Pepe Romero. He performed works by Bach, Coll, Villalobos, Albéniz, Domeniconi and Barrios.
In addition, the prominent Spanish instrumentalist extended his stay in Úbeda one more day to offer, on Sunday, master classes to students from higher conservatories in Andalusia who had traveled to the town. This was thanks to La Academia, a section dedicated to training, meetings and dissemination organized in collaboration with the UNED, once again involved in everything that has to do with culture in the town of Ubeta.
Voice and piano
Prior to all this, last Thursday we had the duo formed by the tenor Juan de Dios Mateos and the pianist Antonio López. The combination of the exceptional voice of the former and the mastery of the latter faced a program focused on great works of the lyrical repertoire. These ranged from classics like Donizetti’s ‘Una furtiva lágrima’ to lesser-known gems from the Spanish repertoire.
The recital took place in the impressive cloister of the Basilica Menor de Santa María de los Reales Alcázares, as it belonged to the ‘Music and Heritage’ cycle with which the Úbeda Festival has set out to visit special corners of the city declared World Heritage. Humanity, achieving intimate, flirtatious moments full of beauty, where the place and the artistic proposal are designed to achieve unique experiences.
Collaboration
The governing institutions of the Úbeda Festival are the Úbeda City Council, the Jaén Provincial Council and its brand ‘Jaén, interior paradise’, the Junta de Andalucía through its Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports and the National Institute of the Performing Arts and Music (INAEM) of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. It is organized by the Friends of Music Cultural Association, has the collaboration of the UNED, Artmusic and the Joaquín Achúcarro Foundation, and receives the support of about thirty sponsors and collaborators, to which we must add another extensive section of Friends of the Festival. Something unique in the gearing of this type of events.
