Romina de la Sotta Donoso

From January 27th to February 5th, Frutillar will once again become the epicenter of the written musical tradition. The 44 {+a} {+s} Musical Weeks of Frutillar will include forty concerts, held in places such as the Lake Theater's Espacio Tronador Sala Nestlé and "Lake Llanquihue" amphitheater..

There will be recitals, chamber music and symphonies, in addition to jazz and other traditional repertoire. "We are working for a company with a soul," Flora Inostroza, president of the Cultural Corporation "Musical Weeks" of Frutillar, said yesterday, and noted that they have not raised ticket prices (between $3,000 CLP and $10,000 CLP) in five years.

TThe rector of the Universidad de Chile, Victor Pérez, said that next summer, the university will celebrate 30 years of participation in the event, and the mayor of Frutillar, Ramón Espinoza, spoke of the 17 free public concerts that will be offered in eight communities of the Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions: "In 2011, 15,000 attendees came to concerts at the Lake Theater, and another 16,000 to the public concerts.";

1 Highlights from the symphonic repertoire

The Chilean Symphony Orchestra, which will receive the President of the Republic Award 2011 in the "classical music" category, will take the lead role in the second half of the event. It is the third successive year in which it has participated. Led by internationally renowned guest conductor Francisco Rettig, the orchestra will perform pieces that changed the history of music. At the Nestlé Gala, the Orchestra will combine in one program Beethoven's Second Symphony and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, and, in another program, it will play Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" after a twelve-year recess.

4 World Music

Thanks to the efforts of the South African embassy in Santiago, the string quintet Bana Ba Thari will debut in Frutillar. This quintet will interpret traditional pieces from their country in arrangements that transpose its rhythms from percussion to strings. The Brazilian ensemble Terra Sonora returns to the event with an ethnic music program, and Los Cuatro Cuartos will cover their whole musical career to celebrate 50 years of existence. There will also be jazz, with Los Chicago Voy, an ensemble that includes, among others, Daniel Lencina, Jorge Espíndola, Giovanni Cultrera and Federico Danemann.

The embassies of Germany, Israel and Poland are joining forces with the festival, managing the visits of representatives of their respective countries. The Emsland Ensemble will be present, and there will be a recital by two Israelis, Sivann Maayani (violin) and Ishay Shaer (piano), and a piano concert by Gajusz Keska (Poland).

2 The great Symphonic choirs return

The great symphonic choirs will shine again at this year's event, demonstrating the new energy that the Universidad de Chile is giving its Symphonic Choir. This choir, accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra and under the direction of Francisco Rettig, will offer the gala "Noche Lírica (A Lyrical Night)." Starring soloists Patricia Cifuentes, Evelyn Ramírez, Gonzalo Tomckowiack and Homero Pérez, the choir will perform the famous arias, duets and choruses of composers such as Verdi ("Va, Pensiero," "La donna è mobile" and "Sempre Libera"), Puccini ("Nessun dorma") and Bizet ("Habanera" and "Aria del toreador").

There will also be choral chamber music, with the Cantoría Juventus from the UCV, which will interpret works by Monteverdi, Saint-Saëns, Villa-Lobos and Tomás Luis de Victoria under the direction of René Verger.

3 Young Talents

After receiving first prize in the "Dr. Luis Sigall" contest, Chinese cellist Xian Zhuo (26) earned his debut with the Chilean Symphony Orchestra in Frutillar. Together they will perform the demanding Cello Concerto, Op. 104, by Dvorak. Zhou will also give a recital with pianist María Iris Radrigán. All of the members of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra, which will be performing for the second time, are less than 23 years old. Led by José Luis Domínguez, they will interpret Beethoven's Third Symphony and the tone poem "Don Juan" by Richard Strauss. They are not the only young musicians scheduled to perform in 2012. Also participating are soprano Esperanza Restucci, with a lyrical recital, and students of

the UC Music Institute Alejandro Barría (cello) and José Tomás Moscoso (piano), winners of an internal competition. They will perform works ranging from Back to Pärt, including Brahms and Webern.

5 Opening night for Juan Fernández

As always, the Symphonic Band of the Chilean Air Force will kick off the event's 2012 programming. But this time the opening concert will be of a different nature. "We will perform the premiere of 'Adagio,' a piece composed a week after the tragedy of Juan Fernández. Three of my friends were killed in the accident," says Fabrizzio De Negri, director of the ensemble. They will also interpret "Pines of Rome" by Respighi. The second presentation will offer film music, with a special segment dedicated to John Williams, including projection of scenes from films.

Source: Semanasmusicales