Maestro Juanjo Mena resumes the Palau de les Arts symphonic concert series with Visions of the 20th Century (I)

22.02.2006

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía has presented today Visions of the 20th Century (I) with which the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will resume this coming Saturday, February 24 at 8:30 p.m. the cycle of symphonic concerts programmed for this season in the Main Hall of the coliseum.
The regional Secretary of Culture, Concha Gómez, was present at the event; the Mayor of the Palau de les Arts, Helga Schmidt; as well as the maestro Juanjo Mena, the clarinetist Joan Enric Lluna and the composer César Cano.

Visions of the 20th Century (I) will be conducted by Juanjo Mena, director of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, who will lead the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in this retrospective featuring pieces by Albéniz and Fernández-Arbós, Béla Bartók, and César Cano. Valencian clarinetist Joan Enric Lluna will participate in this first concert, performing the Clarinet Concerto by fellow Valencian composer César Cano.

Both Concha Gómez and Helga Schmidt emphasized the Palau de les Arts' commitment to Valencian music. Furthermore, Director Helga Schmidt announced that the Valencian theater will record the concert under the Palau label for later distribution.

Maestro Juanjo Mena, on the other hand, highlighted the work of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, which he described as "fantastic" and explained that Visions of the 20th Century (I) will introduce the orchestra to fundamental works for any orchestra such as Albéniz's Iberia or Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra.

The composer César Cano also explained that he composed the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in 1998 to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Federico García Lorca, intended for the clarinetist Joan Enric Lluna to perform it.

In this regard, both Cano and Lluna have agreed that the audience at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will witness this coming Saturday a more mature version of this composition that premiered in 1999 at the Palau de la Música.

Four top-level concerts

The second concert will feature Maestro Lorin Maazel conducting the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in a tribute to the marine environment entitled "Del Mar" (From the Sea), which will be presented at the Palau de les Arts on March 21 and 25. "Del Mar" will feature the participation of Valencian soprano Isabel Rey.

On May 4, Zubin Mehta will conduct the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in the second part of Visions of the 20th Century, which will feature the participation of the prestigious Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos.

As a grand finale to this cycle, Zubin Mehta will conduct Gustav Mahler's complex Resurrection symphony on May 9th with the participation of the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana and the contralto Anna Larsson and the soprano Mariola Cantarero.

One of the best Spanish conductors

Juanjo Mena is one of the most prestigious conductors of his generation. He has been the artistic director and principal conductor of the long-established Bilbao Symphony Orchestra since 1999. He has conducted some of Spain's most important orchestras, including the Spanish National Orchestra, the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and the Valencia Orchestra. Internationally, he has conducted, among others, the Bucharest Philharmonic and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra.

Joan Enric Lluna, for his part, is a Professor with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and is considered one of the most internationally renowned Spanish clarinetists of his generation. He has performed in concert halls and festivals throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas, both in chamber music recitals and as a soloist. César Cano is a Professor of Composition and Instrumentation at the Joaquín Rodrigo Higher Conservatory of Music in Valencia. His diverse catalog includes more than 50 works that have been performed in various countries, such as England, the United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, Russia, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Portugal, and Lebanon. He was Composer-in-Residence with the Joven Orquesta de la Generalitat Valenciana (Youth Orchestra of the Valencian Community) in 2001 and 2002.