JAMES GAFFIGAN CONDUCTS ‘SYMPHONIC DANCES’ FROM ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ AND A SELECTION FROM PROKOFIEV’S ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’

James Gaffigan returns to Les Arts on the 11^th of November with a programme that includes ‘Symphonic Dances’ from the well-known musical ‘West Side Story’, by Bernstein, and a selection from the ‘ballet’ ‘Romeo and Juliet’, by Prokofiev, considered one of the most beautiful scores in the repertoire. These pieces will be performed by the ‘Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana’.

The musical director of Les Arts also returns for his first subscription concert with the ‘Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana’ in the Auditori, one of the lesser-known works by Óscar Esplá, ‘El sueño de Eros’, with which he will begin this symphonic evening.

‘West Side Story’ is possibly the best-known and best-loved work by the American composer, pianist and conductor Leonard Bernstein, who after his overwhelming success on Broadway extracted his musical numbers under the title of ‘Symphonic Dances’ (1960), the orchestral piece that the OCV will perform this Friday, orchestrated by Gaffigan. In it, Bernstein brings together, for a large orchestra, unforgettable themes from the work such as ‘Maria’ and ‘Somewhere’.

The revolution of ‘West Side Story’ in the musical genre culminated a year later with the Oscar-winning adaptation by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise of this urban and contemporary version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on New York’s Upper West Side. Prokofiev was the first to adapt William Shakespeare’s tragedy to dance and created a masterful score with an exceptionally rich timbre, which managed to tell the story of the famous lovers of Verona without words.

After the concert this Friday on the 11^th of November, James Gaffigan will begin rehearsals for Puccini’s ‘La Bohème’, one of the favourite operas of Valencian audiences, which will be performed at Les Arts with Federica Lombardi and Saimir Pirgu in the roles of Mimì and Rodolfo, respectively, and the Valencian Marina Monzó as Musetta.

Tickets for the James Gaffigan concert are priced between 30 and 40 euros for the public. Those interested can find more information on the website of Les Arts.

Report by Shemaiah Rose

Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’

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