Preview, New Twists and the Basics:
This year the International Cervantino Festival will reverberate
with a double theme, The Art of Liberty and the celebration of Verdi and
Wagner’s music. The composers’ fans will face the difficult task of deciding
among a dozen large and small scale concerts, including Verdi’s Requiem Mass
and Wagner’s opera, The Flying Dutchman.
Under the banner The Art of Liberty, the festival will
showcase artists whose music or theatre confront the violence and horror in Europe
and Mexico during the past century, among others, Victor Ullman’s satirical
chamber opera, The Emperor of Atlantida composed in Theresienstadt, and Marcelo
Rodriguez’ Bola Negra, based on the violence in Ciudad Juarez. Uta Lemper will
sing songs the Nazis declared “degenerate”; Mexico’s National Theatre will
present La Sangre de Antigona, by Jose Bergamin, who fled Franco Spain for
Mexico. Lightening the mood, a Spanish troupe will present the street theatre
spectacle, Ara Pacis (Way of Peace)
.
Uruguay arrives as the honored country this year, Puebla the invited
state. From Uruguay, at the Alhondiga, the beat of the Afro-Uruguayan singer Ruben
Rada; at the State Auditorium the National Ballet Sodre. From Puebla, nine
events, including the early music group Los Tonos Humanos and regional dancers
in Rostros Poblanos.
It’s a foregone conclusion that extranjeros flock to the dance events. After a dozen years, the
Sydney Dance Company will return with a new director-choreographer Spaniard
Rafael Bonachela, presenting his 2 One Another, described in the Australian
press as “harnessing the strength and skills of the dancers in a thrillingly
fluent piece that maintains its vibrancy over its hourlong journey.” Mexico’s
National Ballet is presenting more traditional fare, La Bayadera, with Petipa’s
choreography and movements; the story is set in an ancient princely kingdom of
India.
As part of the cornucopia of classical and contemporary
music, Russian violinist Sasha Rodzdestvinsky will perform twice, in a solo
concert at the Minas auditorium and at the orchestral concert honoring
Lutowski, Hindemuth and Mario LaVista. For Beethoven addicts, the Camera
Ireland with Barry Douglas as director soloist will perform the complete cycle
of concertos in three concerts. As always, cutting edge music at the Salon de
Consejo.
This year, no surprise, the Cervantino will
serve up a heady brew of world music and jazz. Most nights there will be world
music concerts at the Alhondiga, including The Lost Fingers, a Canadian group
playing gypsy jazz. At the ex-hacienca Gabriel de Barrera, a koto duo, from the
US the Deep Blue Organ Trio, and from San Miguel, Salomon Maawad.
NEW TWISTS: Two-hour guided walks through parts of the city
immortalized in Carlos Fuentes’ Las Buenas Consciencias (in English, The Good
Conscience) and Jorge Ibarguengoitia’s novels; more extensive use of the
Compania as a venue; and many pre and post-event chats in Spanish.
THE BASICS: The events mentioned are only the tip of the
iceberg. Complete program and other details online at www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx.
Tickets bought at a box office in Guanajuato (Teatro Juarez or the Gran Hotel
near the glorieta coming from San Miguel) are discounted 50% for holders of
INAPAM cards. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster.
(first published in Atencion, San Miguel de Allende)
B