Full Houses for Three Kings Concerts

TWO capacity houses filled Torrevieja’s Municipal Theatre on Friday January 6, for the popular New Year concert.

The recently formed Torrevieja Symphony Orchestra, directed by José Francisco Sánchez put on two shows, at noon and 7.00pm and as in the past couple of years, the quickly sold out for this popular first concert of each New Year.

The show was organized by Torrevieja’s Institute of Culture ‘Joaquin Chapaprieta’ and the Association ‘ArsAetheria’ and featured a new program for the Orchestra, thi 2012 program being chosen from emotional waltzes and polkas from the Strauss family and Tchaikovsky, in a similar style as the New Year concert held every year in Vienna by the Musikvereinsaal Philharmonic Orchestra. The Torrevieja Symphony Orchestra was established in 2008 and despite their youth, has grown into an excellent interpretive ensemble that is quickly gaining an excellent reputation around the Alicante region and beyond.

The concert was devided into two halves including the Swan Lake Waltz (Tchaikovsky) Hungarian Dance No. 5 (Brahms), Masquerade Waltz (Khachaturian), Waltz of the Flowers Ballet "The Nutcracker" (Tchaikovsky) and The Wedding of Luis Alonso (G. Gimenez). In Part Two, the Symphonic Orchestra of performed: L'Arlesienne (Bizet), Tritsch-Träsch-Polka Op 214 (Strauss), 437 Emperor's Waltz Op (Strauss), Unter Donner und Blitz Polka Op 324 (Strauss), and Blue Danube Waltz Op 314 (Strauss).

The concert was also an emotional occasion for many in the audience due to the passing away of Torrevieja's world-renowned violinist Josef Mena who was a strong influence in the strength of Torrevieja musicianship and one of the people who strongly supported the creation of the symphony orchestra in the city. For many years Mena was Spain's first violinist and was also the founder of the Spanish Radio Television Orchestra with which he remained for 30 years before retiring to live in Torrevieja. Mena passed away on December 11, 2011.

Keith Nicol