Juanjo Mena conducts works by Arriaga and Schubert with the OCV and the soprano Sabina Puértolas in Valencia and Castelló

• The renowned Basque director is present at the head of the Valencian Community Orchestra this March 27th at the Palau de les Arts and on the 28th at the Castelló Auditorium.
• Three of the most recognized Italian batutes, Antonello Manarcorda, Fabio Luisi and Daniele Gatti, will perform 'Les Arts és Simfònic'.

Valencia (03/24/21). Juanjo Mena conducts works by Arriaga and Schubert, with the Valencian Community Orchestra and the soprano Sabina Puértolas as soloist, this week's cap in Valencia and Castelló.

The prestigious Basque director is immersed in the last parts of the program, which returns to the Arts 14 years later. Recognized by his extensive international career, Juanjo Mena has worked with the most renowned orchestras, among which are Cleveland, National of France, Gewandhaus and the Philharmonics of Berlin, London and New York. Les Arts recovers this concert that will have to be postponed last season due to the health emergency situation.

The main director of the Cincinnati May Festival will be one of the first batons that the OCV will work in its first year of life. Mena will debut in 2007 with a program entitled 'Visions of the 21st century', which will introduce composers such as Albéniz, Fernández-Arbós, Béla Bartok and César Cano into the repertoire of the Valencian Community Orchestra.

For his return, he focuses on two important figures of early romanticism: Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, unknown in the OCV repertoire, and Franz Schubert.

Named the 'Spanish Mozart', Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (1806-1826) will be a precocious genius who, despite dying at just 19 years old, will leave an important musical testimony. After the overture of 'The Happy Slaves', Arriaga's lyrical side will focus the first part of the concert, with the dramatic cantata for soprano and orchestra 'Herminie' and the aria 'Hymen! viens dissiper une vaine frayeur' from the opera 'Médée', performed by the soprano Sabina Puértolas.

As well as the evening, Juanjo Mena proposes one of the great works of the symphonic repertoire, the last symphony that Franz Schubert will compose, 'The Great', named here for its longest duration and majesty, and precursor of our new romantic airs.

Juanjo Mena conducts the Valencian Community Orchestra tonight, March 27, at 7:00 p.m., at the Auditori of the Palau de les Arts. One day later, the OCV will present this program at the Auditori i Palau de Congressos de Castelló at 7:30 p.m. For more information, interested parties can consult Les Arts – Un camí d'emociones i IVC (gva.és) .

Les Arts és Simfònic

Three of the most prominent batutes on the international scene will play 'Les Arts és Simfònic': Antonello Manacorda (May 28 and 29, 2021), Fabio Luisi (June 19, 2021) and Daniele Gatti (July 1, 2021).

Juanjo Mena

Juanjo Mena is one of the most renowned Spanish directors on the international circuit. Principal conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival, he has previously been principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, principal guest conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic and the Teatre Carlo Felice of Genoa, as well as principal and artistic conductor of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra.

He directs prestigious formations, among which are the philharmonics of Berlin, London, La Scala, Oslo and Rotterdam; the symphonies of the Bavarian Radio, Bamberg, Swedish Radio, Danish National and NHK of Tokyo, together with the French National Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester of Berlin, Tonhalle of Zuric and the Gewandhaus of Leipzig.

It is also invited by the most important North American formations, with the symphonies of Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Toronto; the philharmonics of New York and Los Angeles, and the orchestras of Cleveland, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Washington. He appears regularly as the lead singer of the Boston Symphony, both in the current concert season and at the Tanglewood Festival.

As an opera director, he addresses titles from the romantic repertoire, such as 'Der fliegende Holländer', 'Salome', 'Elektra', 'Ariadne auf Naxos', 'Bluebeard's Castle' or 'Erwartung', in addition to productions of 'Yevgeny Onegin' in Genoa, 'La vida Breve' in Madrid, 'Le nozze' di Figaro' to Lausanne or 'Billy Budd' and 'Fidelio' to Bilbao.

National Music Award in 2016, Juanjo Mena recorded the 'Simfonia Turangalîla' with the Bergen Philharmonic, considered a reference by specialized critics. The records submitted to the head of the BBC Philharmonic include tributes to Arriaga, Ginastera, Albéniz, Falla, Pierné, Montsalvatge, Weber and Turina. Recent and upcoming commitments include his return to the seasons of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Zuric Tonhalle, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo NHK and the Minnesota Orchestra.