Juan de la Rubia will play the unique organ housed in the walls of Symphony Hall this Sunday in our cultural space

 

Auditorio de Tenerife is a cultural space linked to the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Councilt hat is managed by the councillor of Culture Enrique Arriaga. On Sunday [24th] Juan de la Rubia, main organist of the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona, will give the organ concert Ecos desde el espejo ("Echoes in  the Mirror"). He will tackle music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Guridi, and De la Rubia himself, breathing life into the unique instrument in Symphony Hall.

This will be the first opportunity of the year to have the experience of listening to the Auditorium's organ, built by prestigious organ builder Albert Blancafort and his team. It is a 21st century instrument that is unique because of its design, but also because of its sound and registration, which come from the 3,835 pipes that are housed in the walls of the emblematic hall – controlled from on-stage by the console where the organist plays.

The programme consists of Vivaldi's Concerto in D major, transcribed by Bach, Variations sérieuses by Mendelssohn, transcribed by R. Smits, and Ten Basque Melodies by Guridi, transcribed by Juan de la Rubia himself, who will end the concert with a bit of improvisation.

This concert, which has the collaboration of the San Miguel Arcángel Royal Canarian Academy of Fine Art, brings the art of transcription to the fore.  It represents a key to organ repertoire which, while extensive in and of itself, is nourished by these interpretations.

Juan de la Rubia, main organist of the Sagrada Familia, is originally from Vall d'Uixó (Castellón), where he began his studies under his father and Ricardo Pitarch, ending them in several European capitals. During his beginnings, he received up to five Extraordinary Awards in various specialities, in addition to the First Prize in the Permanent Competition of Musical Youth of Spain (2002) and the El Primer Palau Award (2004) – recognition that helped to boost his career notably. 

His incessant activity as a soloist, conductor, accompanist, and continuist has taken him to the main stages of some thirty countries in the world. In the last decade, De la Rubia has also specialised in improvisation for silent films, noteworthy of which are "Faust" and “Nosferatu" by Murnau and "Metropolis" by Lang. Member of the Reial Acadèmia de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi and Professor at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, he regularly conducts master classes in the cities of Budapest, Stuttgart, and Rome.

Tickets can be purchased on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com  and by phone dialling 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They can also be obtained by going to the box office at the same time by appointment.  Appointments can be requested on www.auditoriodetenerife.com/contact-us and by dialling 922 568 625. Those lines are also open to answer questions, from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ticket sales close two hours before the start of the show to finish setting up the hall and to offer a completely safe experience.

The audience is requested to arrive at the venue well in advance to enter the auditorium in staggered "waves". By purchasing tickets, you accept the measures implemented by the cultural centre to combat COVID-19, such as the correct use of  masks and attendance to the event only with people you are living with. All of the measures, as well as the contingency plan certified by AENOR, can be consulted on our website.