Celebracion Sinfonica

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Utah Symphony performed a series of concerts this weekend called Celebracion Sinfonica which were free to the public.  Guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yanez, who was incredibly charming and entertaining, took us on a musical journey through Latin America with stops in Peru, Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina, Bolivia, and Mexico.  It was wonderful!  The orchestra began with La muerta del angel by Astor Piazzolla and I enjoyed it because it was very dramatic, especially the theme played by the piano.  Next came Danza festiva by Jose Carlos Campos and I thought it was very fiery and passionate.  Concerto para cordas e percussao by Camargo Guarnieri was my favorite piece of the night because it featured an improvisational performance by the percussion (timpani and snare) in the middle of it and, as you can imagine, it was awesome.  The concert continued with Suite Latinoamericano by Vinicio Meza, which was very seductive, and Malambo by Jose Bragato, which was incredibly stirring.  The orchestra continued with two movements from Las cuatro estaciones portenos by Astor Piazzolla.  I really liked Invierno (Winter) because it was beautiful but a little bit mournful (I'm not sure why I am always drawn to the sad pieces).  Lopez-Yanez had the audience clap along with Viva mi patria Bolivia by Apolinar Camacho and I'm not sure how the orchestra was able to keep the correct tempo because we were really off!  The concert concluded with a beautiful piece called Estrellita by the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce.  It was so tender and romantic and it received a standing ovation from the audience.  As an encore the orchestra played La Llorona which is a traditional piece arranged by Lopez-Yanez based on the legend of a woman who died of sorrow after killing her children so now she appears as a ghost.  It was very atmospheric and spooky so it was perfect for this time of year.  I had never heard any of this music before and I really enjoyed all of it!  It was such a great concert and I'm so glad that I was able to get a ticket because it was a hot item!