Wonderful New Year's Concert by the Torrevieja Symphony Orchestra

There are some concerts that manage to concentrate emotions, energy, thoughts and sounds in one point in such an intense way that for a long while we think nothing else exists. Such turned out to be the sixteenth consecutive New Year's Concert, for which many local music lovers had long been sharpening their appetites. On this special evening, the Symphonic Orchestra of Torrevieja, under the direction of experienced guest conductor Leonardo Matrinez, celebrating the New Year & Epiphany at the Auditorio Internacional, once again demonstrated outstanding artistic condition and commitment.

A wonderful introduction to the holiday mood, was the interpretation of excerpts from the ballet "Nutcracker - by P.Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). Already with the first bars of the "Overture", followed by the fiery "Russian Dance" and the romantic "Waltz of the Flowers", the performers enchanted the audience with a beautiful musical story in a space woven with extreme care and precision. A true class act, maestro Martinez and the orchestra revealed in the Overture to the operetta "The Light Cavalry" - By Fr. von Suppé (1819-1895), a work that, thanks to its original, almost schlocky melodies and lively rhythms, enjoys well-deserved popularity, even though the operetta as such has been virtually forgotten. The "Light Cavalry" overture, like the "Bacchanalia" from the opera "Samson and Dalila" - C.Saint-Saens (1835-1921), in performed by the orchestra, became real jewels, each of them shining with a different, charming brilliance.

A great gift - a surprise from the OST management - turned out to be the performance of Carmen Muñoz, who, with her beautiful, clear and dynamically amplitude sounding soprano, delighted the audience by performing the famous aria "Casta Diva" from the opera "Norma" by V. Bellini (1801-1835). During the performance, the music flowed so naturally, as if it was born before our eyes, as if the artists were improvising, although in reality they were faithful to the musical text. !!!Bravissimo !!!

The second installment of the evening belonged exclusively to the timeless music of Johann Strauss II (1825 - 1899), and rightly so, since less than three months ago the bicentennial of the master's birth was celebrated. Out of the vast number of J. Strauss opuses, maestro Martinez has selected several works of exceptional popularity. And so the waltzes "Roses of the South" and "The Sound of Spring", a large part of the audience, I believe, would have been able to dip in the form of "Karaoke" together with the orchestra. There was a breath of freshness from the stage. Concentration during the performance of the pieces allowed the conductor to bring out truly beautiful elements, and as a result the Waltzes sounded airy, although they lacked a bit of lightness and that spring breeze with a subtle scent of rose. The "Academia de Baile Mary" undoubtedly contributed to the performance success by presenting a choreographic arrangement to these works.

The finesse of the phrase, the naturalness of the sound and the ability to balance the dynamics, as well as a lot of energy, could be admired during the performance of the polka "On the Hunt," and the second polka "Eljen a Magyar," or "Choose a Hungarian." These charming miniatures, thanks to their proper delivery, penetrate the listener's imagination in a subtle rather than literal way, and the orchestra and maestro Martinez, as usual, showed their class, performing both with extraordinary energy and verve, while not losing their lighthearted character.

It has become a tradition of Viennese-style concerts to perform a peculiar anthem at the end of the concert, which undoubtedly helped to make composer Johann Strauss II famous throughout the musical world. The waltz "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" is famous for its vibrant melodies and dazzles the listener with its cascade of moods. It was fascinating how the brilliantly disposed orchestra reacted to the conductor's movements, becoming witnesses to that fleeting moment when expression, emotion and talent combine into a beautiful whole, crowning the New Year's Concert, applauded by the audience. To an ovation, OST and maestro Leonardo Martinez thanked the audience with another surprise, making it possible to meet the well-known and reliable singer Laura España, who performed as an encore full of expression song - the carol "Lo Bueno de Ti" . Then only the famous "Radetzky March" with active participation of the audience, definitively ended the New Year's musical celebration.

The greatest compliment that can be given to the performers is that you really felt what the artists wanted to tell musically and that the superbly interpreted music was able to create a community without words. This evening the music was, as usual, the most important thing and my wish for the New Year - may it be ,,,,,, that it will always be so !