Roberto Sierra. Photo: Facebook
Thank you to Phyllis Boros of the Connecticut Post, who wrote a great story about the upcoming Latin-themed concert at the Klein:
Hooray for Latin American, Spain and Puerto Rican rhythms!
That’s the message from the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, which will present “Arriba Espana” Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport. Donald Palma will be the guest conductor and noted guitarist Benjamin Verdery will be the soloist. This will be the second concert of GBS’ 2017-18 “Revolutions and Revelations” series, which “features an exploration of the effects of political revolutions on music,” the GBS said.
“¡Arriba España!” will feature Joaquin Rodrigo’s guitar masterpiece “Concierto de Aranjuez,” a composition written at the end of the Spanish Civil War, the GBS pointed out. “Considered a calming influence after the tumult of Civil War,” the music for many years “was used by Spanish politicians to celebrate the victory of Franco, but it is, in reality, an emotional autobiography of Rodrigo himself,” the GBS said.
Also on the program are “Tumbao” from Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra’s Sinfonia No. 3, “La Salsa,” a spirited contemporary Classical work; and works by Argentine Alberto Ginastera and Spaniard Manuel de Falla, as well as a short piece by cellist Pablo Casals. Casals’ “Song of the Birds” was the opening piece for all of his concerts. Casals was forced to leave Spain after the Civil War, and always dedicated “El cant dels ocels” to “the soul of my country, Catalonia,” the GBS pointed out.
The Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Saturday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m. $59-$15. 203-576-0263.
