13/10/2008
Vitoria-Gasteiz,
October 13, 2008. - Fundación Catedral Santa María will be
commemorating the feast day of Santa Cecilia, patron saint of
musicians, with new concerts in the portico. As part of the Abierto por
concierto series, nine new musical concerts will be taking place during
the month of November, featuring performances by Bóreas Cámara, Grupo
Gregorianista Vitoria-Gasteiz and Concejo Abierto, among others. The
concerts will be free of charge by invitation.
Since its launch last July, Abierto por concierto has been
magnificently received by the public, including members of the
Cathedral’s Circle of Founders as well as the rest of Vitoria’s
residents. The recently restored portico has also successfully
established itself as the stage for a stable cultural programme, which
is why November will be a special month, since festivities in honour of
Santa Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, fall on the 22nd and will be
commemorated with an array of very special performances.
But the month’s concert series will kick off with Grupo Gregorianista
Vitoria-Gasteiz. This group’s roots date back to over fifty years ago
when the seminary in the Alava capital and Benedictine monks of
Montserrat were the seed of this choir. Conducted by Antxón Lete, on
Saturday, November 1 at 8.00 p.m., they will perform the Requiem Mass
for All Saints’ Day that appears in the Cathedral’s Cartulario, which
dates from 1740.
One week later,
on November 8, Dúo de Violonchelo y Piano, made up of Estíbaliz Oraá
and Susana García de Salazar, will have its turn. These two
performers from Vitoria will offer a repertoire that aims to show how
cello music evolved in Europe from the purest German romanticism of
Robert Schuman to Debussy’s French impressionism, without overlooking
Basque music featuring pieces by Carmelo Bernaola, Guelbenzu,
Usandizaga and Donostia. The concert begins at 8.00 p.m..
But without a doubt, the month’s pièce de résistance will arrive with
the commemoration of the feast day of Santa Cecilia, patron saint of
musicians. An extensive program has been designed for the weekend that
begins on Friday, November 21 at 8.00 p.m. with a performance by the
group Bóreas Cámara, which will present to the public its new album
recorded in Vitoria’s cathedral. ‘Pack of New Cotillons‘ will also be
performed on Saturday 22 at 12.00 noon.
That same day in the evening (8.00 p.m.), Juan Carlos Pérez will take
the stage in the portico of Santa María Cathedral. Backed by his trio
Hiriko Istoriak – JC Pérez live, the former founder and leader of the
mythical band Itoiz will present a project that reviews his three
previous works.
One week later, on Friday, November 28 at 8.00 p.m, audiences can enjoy
a performance by Concejo Abierto, an ancient music group that performs
the baroque repertoire from the late sixteenth century to the early
eighteenth century and has always sought to interpret history with
original instruments. Concejo Abierto is made up of musicians Ander
Berrojalbiz (violin), Maider López (viola) and Virginia Gonzalo
(harpsichord and organ), although in this concert they will be
accompanied by four other musicians: Cristina Bayón (soprano), Soma
Salat-Zakariás (viola da gamba), Thor-Harald Johsen (theorboe) and
Roger Junyent i Balsach (baroque violin).
And on Saturday, November 29, the
group Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse will perform the month’s last
recital. Considered by experts and the public alike as a frame of
reference in seventeenth-century music performance, this group features
a series of ancient brass instruments including a nucleus of bugles and
sackbuts accompanied, when necessary, by other instruments such as
violins, violas, bass dulcinas and shawms. This concert will also begin
at 8.00 p.m..
All concerts will be performed in the portico by invitation. Anyone
interested in attending can pick up invitations at the Cathedral’s
Visitor Reception Centre as of the Wednesday prior to each
recital.