Definitely, despite the serious faces of all the paintings I know of the composer Beethoven, what this great man really transmits is joy and wonder through his music; and it has been demonstrated once again in the ninth symphony that we had the pleasure to perform just this weekend that is ending (I am literally coming from the concert straight to the PC to share this experience with you)...
It was a very special and important performance, as we sang to the representatives of the European Union in Venezuela, where Spain was celebrating its new presidency, so our audience are people who appreciate very much the lyrics and music of this symphony, as the first musical fragment that you can see in the video above has been consolidated as the anthem of this union of countries.
Ambar Arias (Soprano), Marilyn Viloria (Mezzo), Iván Cardozo (Tenor) and Christián Pabón (Barítono)
These four artists that you can see in the photo above are Venezuelan export talent. The two girls were members of our choir, but now the soprano is shining in Germany and the Mezzo-Soprano has even participated in the soundtrack of the movie of the Steven Universe series. The tenor has also performed outside Venezuela and is still a member of the Simon Bolivar Chorale, and the baritone is an Andean who is usually a guest at our musical events.
I just finished moving house, which took two months of my life, so it is special for me to start this second part of the year singing Beethoven's ninth symphony, considered the Hymn of Joy. It is impossible not to be moved by this music, everything that is sung there are beautiful phrases and statements of good vibes, even though it is in German, a rather complex language for me, I always sing and understand with pleasure the message that we transmit. The last two times we did this symphony my girl was the soprano soloist, this time she shared with me in the choir and she tells me that you feel the same joy being in front or behind the orchestra, in fact, this music transmits the same beautiful feeling even if we are among the spectators in the theater seats.
This important concert for us was conducted by Adrián Ascanio, nephew of Maestro José Antonio Abreu and who is taking care of continuing the beautiful legacy of passion for music in Venezuela. I am a tenor in the Simón Bolívar National Choir, but I cheated and sang in the baritone row; that's how I learned it and it is the musical line I enjoy singing the most. The fabulous orchestra that accompanied us was the Simón Bolívar Symphony, who will be performing this same work in August in Scotland; I don't want to brag about our talent, but all together we sound spectacular, I particularly love to see the faces of amazement in the audience when we sing and play the most famous fragments of this symphony, it really is synonymous of joy for the people.
Before I say goodbye, I would like to ask all those who read me, especially those who do not know Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, that if one day they hear that it will be presented in their city, they should not miss it. I believe that everyone in the world should enjoy this work of classical music at least once in life, and my advice is to enjoy it live and feel the vibration of each instrument and each voice on the stage. This concert took place the night of Saturday July 1st at the Simon Bolivar Hall of the National Center of Social Action for Music in the city of Caracas. I edited the video in ShotCut with fragments of the presentation that our mothers in the audience have recorded and shared with us, the members of the group. All the pictures were taken with my Tecno Pova II, I embrace you all, and happy beginning of the week!...
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