Interpretations at the highest level. Maestros J. de Meij, C. Pérez y S. Hernández with the UMT Band

On Sunday afternoon, with a packed audience at the sala Teatro Municipal, an exceptional concert by the Banda Unión Musical Torrevieja took place in every respect. This brass band of merit for the city and the region can impress with fairly regular concerts with extremely interesting programs and at a very high performance level. This time the local audience had the opportunity and great satisfaction to participate in a concert conducted by two directors (not simultaneously, of course !). The host was UMT director Maestro Carlos Ramon-Perez, while the invited guest was Maestro Johan de Meij from the Netherlands, who also introduced himself as the composer of all four works performed. Another highlight was a performance by Samuel Hernandez Imbernon, still not so long ago a "tuba prodigy", winner of dozens !!! of competitions, and today a musician invited to work with professional orchestras at home and abroad. And so we have a full picture of the surprises prepared by UMT for the occasion. But let's get to the substance.

The opening monographic concert, "Continental Oberture - Johan de Meij," fell to the UMT Band under the direction of its artistic head Carlos Ramón -Perez. The composition, which is characterized by a great deal of eruptive dynamism and vitality, was performed with temperament and at its best a frenzy worthy of true masters. It was a highly impressive introduction to the premiere performance of J. de Meij's Concerto for Tuba.

Before we heard the first bars of the work, however, there was a symbolic handing over of the baton to the guest from the Netherlands on the stage, albeit one who conducts without a baton, and an enthusiastic welcome to the young but already distinguished artist as a soloist. Samuel Hernandez Imbernon meets the magnificent Kapellmeister and composer Johan de Meij on stage to perform for the first time in the world, a technically and interpretively demanding work that is an adaptation of the "Canticles"-Concerto for Bass Trombone. Now Samuel returns to the stage of the Theater not only as an audience favorite, but as a mature and conscious artist who demonstrates his art at the highest level. His way of conveying musical phrases marked by a is great musicality, nobility and lyricism. However, when the score demands it, the artist is able to respond with predation and impressive technique, inspiring awe and awe in the audience. During the performance of the composition, we could enjoy quite a few moments of intimate musicianship, when the solo instrument sounded extremely selective. Samuel confirmed that the awards he has won at competitions, in no way were a coincidence. The artist's path is a marathon. It begins with youthful ambition and the struggle for a place on the podium, to finally achieve greatness in the arts years later. Such an undoubted example of success is Samuel Hernandez Imbernon, who is able to bring out from the tuba a whole range of musical secrets and mysteries, proving that the tuba can with successfully belong to the group of solo instruments. The accompaniment of the UMT Band, conducted by the composer, also contributed to the splendid performance of the "Concerto for Tuba," perfectly accompanying the soloist, who repaid the audience with an attractive encore for solo tuba. The premiere performance was magnificent, worthy of a CD recording.

After the intermission of the monographic concert, we heard an interpretation of one of maestro Johan de Meij's last works, the poem "Los Libros Olvidados." The performance exemplified the reliability and truthfulness of the composer-conductor's creative and performance intentions. The composition is very interesting, varied in sound, with a large dynamic amplitude is a musical illustration, inspired by the content of Carlo Ruiz Zafon's novella "La Sombra del Vientado". "La Sombra del Viento," from 2001, which was a huge publishing success around the world. El Maestro Johan de Meij, as conductor, proved to be a sensitive and extremely musical artist. Technically it was a superb performance, finished in detail, crystalline in intonation, and without cheap effects - in a word, art creative and restorative of the highest order.

The composition "Extreme Makeover" is a series of musical metamorphoses of a theme from P.Tchaikovsky's String Quartet, which Unión Musical performed under the baton of Maestro Carlos Ramon-Perez, concluding this exceptionally attractive concert. The electrifying juxtaposition of classical and contemporary created a delightful whole, performed with great feeling and charisma, introducing the audience to an amazing world of changing musical moods.

Congratulations are due to the outstanding artist Samuel Hernandez Imbernon, and to the excellent conductors Johan de Meij and Carlos Ramon-Perez, who took turns leading the magnificently disposed orchestra of Union Musical Torrevieja. The tremendous temperament, feeling and professionalism of the performers, gave space to the exquisitely written music. A great scale of interpretive means took place on the stage of the Theater, and there was delight and standing applause among the audience. Of course, maestro Johan de Meij encored with an excerpt from "Los Libros Olvidados." I will certainly remember this concert with pride, because as it turns out, art with a capital "S" to shine needs only; great compositions, great performers and an exceptionally receptive audience.