Members of the National Symphonic Orchestra (OSN) commented that they felt very encouraged after receiving a message of congratulations from Army General Raúl Castro on November 16, in commemoration of the institution’s 55th anniversary.
Before beginning the concert, part of the 27th Contemporary Music Festival of Havana, organized by UNEAC, Julián González Toledo, minister of Culture, presented the collective with a letter in which the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, highlighted the role of the OSN in the promotion and defense of patrimonial values, also describing the creation of the organization in 1959 as an early example of the importance the burgeoning Revolution bestowed on culture.
For the director of the OSN, maestro Enrique Pérez Mesa, Raúl’s words signify the renewal of the musicians’ commitment to creation and of the memory of its founders.
Attendees to the event had the opportunity to hear a world premiere: the Sinfonía insular, by Jorge López Marín also conducted by the creator; and to appreciate the intensity of the orchestra’s work and the delivery of baritone Eleomar Coello, under the direction of Roberto Valera, performing works from Escenas, in addition to the poignant voice of Carlos Fariñas, interpreting pieces by Salvadoran Roque Dalton and Chilean Ariel Dorfmann.
