The Reina Sofía Higher School of Music presents the first edition of “Clásica&…”, a series of concerts that aims to break down boundaries between classical music and other languages such as jazz, flamenco, author songs or electronic music. Its first event, dedicated to the Latin jazz of Pepe Rivero, will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Sony Auditorium, inaugurating a project that invites the public to discover new ways of listening.
Pianist Pepe Rivero arrives at the Reina Sofía Higher School of Music
The Reina Sofía Higher School of Music This season it launches an unprecedented initiative in its programming: “Classic&…”a cycle that proposes a constant dialogue between classical tradition and other musical genres. The project was born with the desire to renew the usual formats and to bring academically created music to new audiences, favoring more open and participatory experiences. The proposal, promoted with the support of the Santander Bank Foundationfunctions as a creative laboratory in which the School’s students interact with artists from various backgrounds.
The first edition starts with a double session this Friday and Saturday, days November 28 and 29 at 8:00 p.m.where the pianist and composer Pepe Riveroan undisputed reference of Latin jazz, will share the stage with an ensemble of young performers from the School. The carefully designed program reimagines canonical works of the classical repertoire through the rhythmic and harmonic prism characteristic of Afro-Cuban jazz.
Among the selected pieces, the following stand out: The African boleroinspired by the famous Bolero by Ravel; a song about the Nocturne op. 9 No. 2 by Chopin; a recreation of The Appearance by Lecuona; or the surprising review of The flight of the botfly de Rimsky-Korsakov. The concert also includes nods to Beethoven, Vivaldi, Albéniz and Lili Boulanger, in a journey that interweaves cultures, eras and styles.
“Classic&…” thus becomes a stage where the classical music reinvents itselfwithout losing its essence, when coming into contact with other languages that expand its expressive palette.
One of the pillars of the cycle is the active involvement of the School’s students, selected for their technical excellence and musical versatility. On this occasion, they will accompany Pepe Rivero, Valentin Chong (violin I), David Martinez (violin II), Hugo Hidalgo (viola), Abel Gómez-Antequera (cello), Marco Ferrando (trumpet), Eduardo Alcantara (double bass), Marco Llopart (drums from the Higher School of Creative Music)e Ivan Rodriguez (percussion from the Higher School of Creative Music).
The presence of these young performers underlines the commitment of the Reina Sofía School to comprehensive training and interaction with different professional settings. Your participation in a hybrid and highly demanding format represents a training opportunity that transcends the purely academic.
