Partiture Philharmonic Orchestra and soloist Damián del Castillo open the festival
JAEN DIARY | 21 SEP 2019
Maria Ibanez
The autumn breezes are already easy to perceive in the countdown to the change of season. The arrival of autumn in Jaén is synonymous with the return of a festival that this year celebrates its twentieth edition and which last night had a wonderful start. The Infanta Leonor Theater became, as nine at night approached, a hive of classical music lovers. A full house in the stalls, having learned that the invitations were sold out, already heralded a resounding success for the opening concert of the capital's 20th Autumn Festival. A difficult task to assume, since an inauguration is always a turning point that results, in this case, in a complete mosaic of cultural proposals of various kinds and that will make the people of Jaen dream among magical cultural currents. And it was the latter that motivated Partiture Philharmonic Orchestra with some musical pieces that intoxicated an audience that seemed to return to the golden age of classical music. However, the orchestra intertwined musical notes with the powerful voice of the baritone that gave them a masterful vocal sound. Damián del Castillo, from Ube, with great national projection, left no room for indifference on a night made for letting go. To let the heart beat to the beat of the orchestra. Specifically, the musicians—mostly from Jaén—who made it sound, performed a cycle of four original songs for voice and piano — Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen — This culminated with the Sinfónica fantastica Op.14, one of the most relevant symphonic works of Romanticism, composed by Hector Berlioz, and premiered in Paris in 1830. In this way, the public was directly exposed to a sublime interpretation of an authentic gem of musical history.
The collective applause of an audience devoted to a show to remember served to ensure that the still present expansive waves of the baritone experienced a boom in whose epicenter the Partiture Philharmonic Orchestra shone tirelessly. The baton of Juan Paulo Gómez harmonized the movements of his musicians, which did not cease to dazzle. The first cultural activity of the XX Autumn Festival consisted of all of this and was sponsored by Obra Social La Caixa. Thus, and as announced by the City Council, this inaugural concert consisted of a commitment to give all types of audiences the opportunity to “soak up” the culture.