The concert takes place in the Auditorio de Tenerife this Friday, 7 May at 7:30 pm.

 

 

The Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife is a project of the Island Council’s Department of Culture which is directed by Enrique Arriaga. This new season’s concert unites two great composers, Dmitri Shostakovich and Edward Elgar, whose Symphony No. 9 and Symphony No. 2 will be performed respectively. Both works bear witness to and reflect the era in which they were created. The concert takes place this Friday, 7 May at 7:30 pm in the Auditorio de Tenerife and will be conducted by Antonio Méndez. 

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was considered one of the most popular composers of the mid-20th century. Through his music, the composer was a witness and a chronicler of a time when all artistic expressions were crucial for political power. Against this background, he became a controversial figure that had to show two faces: on the one hand, he was the first author to be trained under the umbrella of the new Soviet regime, exalted and distinguished. On the other hand, in the mid-1930s his career was marked by criticism, harsh calls for order and prohibition. 

His Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, op. 70 belongs to this period. When Shostakovich premiered it, it not only astonished the audience but also kindled the wrath of Stalin, as a grandiose score to celebrate victory at the end of World War II was expected to sound. Yet the result was the shortest and lightest of his 15 symphonies.

Edward Elgar (1857-1934) was a musician associated with the optimism and opulence of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. His work is both ceremonial and sensitive, though steeped in the Germanic tradition. He wrote two symphonies and sketched a third, which he never completed. During the last fifteen years of his life his output declined, partly because, after the First World War, England had nothing to do with the place where he had grown up.

The Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, op. 63 reflects many sides of the composer's character: noble, introverted and confident. Then again, it was created at a time when Elgar was beginning to feel a deep disappointment with the society of his time. He began to write it in 1909 when strong tensions arose and led to the war. He intended to dedicate this symphony to King Edward VII during his lifetime, but the monarch passed away before it was finished. However, in the score there appeared a dedication to "his late Majesty, the King".

Antonio Méndez has been the main conductor of the OST since the 2018/2019 season. He is also one of the most requested and established conductors of his generation; this has enabled him to establish close links with the most important European orchestras. During his distinguished career, he has conducted international ensembles such as Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.

Tickets can be purchased until two hours before the concert on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The audience is requested to arrive at the venue well in advance to enter the Auditorium in staggered "waves" to enjoy this cultural experience. By purchasing tickets, you accept the measures implemented by the cultural centre to combat COVID-19, such as the correct use of masks and the attendance to the event only with people you live with. All of the measures, as well as the contingency plan certified by AENOR, can be consulted on the Auditorium’s website.