A concert for Rachmaninov
A concert to celebrate the 150th birthday of the iconic Russian composer and orchestral conductor Sergei Rachmaninov will be offered at the Minor Basilica of the Convent of St. Francis of Assisi.
On Wednesday, April 12, at 6:00 p.m. in the historic center of Havana, the event will be called Rachmaninov on Stage, according to information sent to our office by Helson Hernández, artistic director.
The performance will feature maestro and pianist Vilma Garriga, mezzo-soprano Merlyn Cruz, soprano Lily Nogueras, violinists Camila Crespo and Elizabeth Yodú, violist Chary Mar Bosch, Amaya Justiz on cello and guitarist Josué Tacoronte.
In addition to this cast, dancers Carmen Rosa Herrera and Miguel Alejandro Corella of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba «will enhance the meaning of these melodies with the art of gesture in movement,» according to the curator of the artistic event.
The program ranges from the famous Vocalice in a version for cello and piano, to a selection of works for string quartet and trio, to which lyrical voices will be added to perform several of Rachmaninov’s romances.
The concert also commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Moscow Choreographic Academy, one of the most important dance institutions in the Baltic country, and the 75th anniversary of CMBF, Radio Musical Nacional, Cuba’s classical music radio station par excellence.
The presentation is sponsored by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Cuba, the Russian House in Havana, the Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo and the City Historian’s Office, concludes Helson Hernández. Sergei Vasilevich Rachmaninov, born on April 1, 1873 in the Russian town of Semionov, is also considered one of the most influential pianists of the 20th century. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory and soon began his career as a virtuoso, specializing in romantic music in an eclectic style.
From 1917, he divided his time between Switzerland and the United States, where he created the bulk of his output. He died on March 28, 1943 in Beverly Hills, California.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
