Baroque September at Havana's Historical Site

This consists in an exclusive program with works written during the Baroque musical period which took place in Europe and the American continent, between the 17th and 18th centuries.

The current edition—number 10—had San Francisco de Paula as its regular seat, where two wonderful concerts were carried out: the first one, Passacaglia for harpsichord, in charge of German maestro Stefane Baier, dean of the Higher Institute of Catholic Religious Music and Musical Pedagogy of Regensbeg, who showed an excellent and refined technique.

The following performance was Para Dos…, German and French music for two sweet flutes, interpreted by Claudia Gerauer and Martina Joos, from Germany and Switzerland, respectively; it turned into a master class where both of them showed their virtuosity and the interpretative culture of the German Baroque period.

Baroque September will include in its program 10 concerts on Fridays and Saturdays, with works by German, Italian and French Baroque. The last week of the month they will also incorporate Wednesdays and Thursdays, all at 7 pm.

A concert with soloists of Ars Longa Ensemble is being announced for Friday, September 11, where beautiful pieces a duet for countertenor and mezzosoprano will be heard, besides repertoires for solo instruments (September 11). Saturday 12 will be for celestial instruments, led by renowned cellist Alejandro Saúl Martínez, having, as guests the Baroque Orchestra of the National School of Music, an Ars Longa project, conducted by violinist Laura Valdés.

The third week of Baroque September will arrive with the vocal and instrumental virtuosity in the work of Italian composers from the 18th century, by Ars Longa Old Music Ensemble. The Sweet Sounds concert, with instruments of this group, has been scheduled for Saturday 19, when they will interpret German, British and Italian pieces from the 17th and 18th centuries.

For the last week of this season, a group of performances to carry out Wednesdays through Saturdays will take place. On Wednesday 23, Santa Cecilia Wind Quintet, along with Caliz Duet as guest, will interpret Baroque Allegory. On Thursday 24, the works Il giardino d´amore, fragments of the operas L´Orfeo, Il ritorno de Ulises in Patria and L´Incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi, will be performed, as part of the cultural actions of the Anno dell´ Italia in America Latina (A.I.AL) project, in collaboration with the Embassy of this country in Cuba.

Friday, September 25, the Soloists in the Baroque concert, by the Musica Eterna chamber orchestra, led by maestro Guido Lopez Gavilan, will be held and for the closing on Saturday 26, cellist Alejandro Martinez will play his Concert in two cellos.

Translation: Roxana Márquez Herrera (Cubarte)