A concert of films

I don't remember a big promotional hype announcing the concert. I saw the poster on the networks and I confess, I went on and on. Strange thing. The unmistakable face of Marlon Brando in his iconic Vito Corleone character this time with violin-shaped glasses on the eye-catching poster conceived as a duo by Kalia León and Aldo Cruces, plus the powerful title Hollywood Classics is not something that escapes my scrutinizing and attentive look at the digital world.

 However, it had to appear again in my Facebook news section for me to connect with a concert that had several points in its favor beforehand. The first, the fact that it set out to recreate soundtracks of great films, which is, I hope no one doubts it, a guarantee. If that recreation comes from the hand of Daiana Garcia as general director and producer of the show, as well as director of the Havana Chamber Orchestra and Pepe Gavilondo as musical director, it is definitely something to which maximum attention should be paid. Finally, if to the above we add that the arrangements would be in charge of Pepe himself along with Aldo Lopez-Gavilan, Alejandro Coqui Calzadilla among others, the combination has to be, by far, explosive. But, above all -and I insist-, we are talking about soundtracks, and names like Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Gladiator, The Lion King), Michael Giacchino (Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Up), Alexander Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water and the recent remake of The Great Budapest Hotel, among others) must come to anyone's mind, The Shape of Water and the recent version of Pinocchio, the latter two by Guillermo del Toro), just to mention three film music composers who, in addition to their tastes, have enlivened movie screens in recent times.

Hollywood classics at the Teatro Martí. Photo: Paula Piñeiro Benítez

One of the springs that moves my life almost since I was born is music. Classical, popular, traditional, contemporary... I had from a very early age a rigorous musical training that, after completing the elementary level of basic piano, I switched to the path of science, which finally anchored in engineering. But since one can be anything in this life and love and drink up all the music, here I am, sitting in the gathering section of the always beautiful Teatro Martí, waiting for what promises to be a magnificent concert.

The perfect marriage between cinema and music that was born in the very beginnings of the seventh art, when it was silent, has left unforgettable and essential scores if we are talking about good music. Relevant composers have dedicated all or most of their work to film music.

Among my contemporary favorites are the American John Williams and the Italian Ennio Morricone, both present in the program. The former, prolific as they come, presented cards with Jaws, opening the set, and then returned to set the standard with Star Wars.
Ennio was also there twice with two classics from his extensive musical oeuvre: Gabriel's oboe from The Mission, cleanly played by Frank Abel Fernández under the indulgent gaze of Jeremy Irons in cassock and a young Robert De Niro, already consecrated. From the beginning of the evening, the music was accompanied by the images that Lilmara Cruz chose and edited so well. For the grand finaleEnnio again with a luxurious soundtrack. Beauty itself made music for a film that is a monument: Cinema Paradiso.

But between the opening piece and the last one there were surprises that, one after the other, went on and on. In crescendo. Singular details such as the greeting to the audience by several of the composers, with messages of affection towards Cuba, its music and musicians. The images on the big screen complemented the music, which was the undisputed protagonist. The perfect synchrony that was achieved throughout the concert had, in my opinion, a peak moment in Over the rainbow when Diana Gutiérrez's violin was silenced by her voice doubling, in just one sentence, Judy Garland as a child in the magical world of Oz.

Hollywood classics at the Teatro Martí. Photo: Paula Piñeiro Benítez

Choosing repertoire must have been hard work. There is so much and so much and so much... But I don't think there was anything left over in a program where the orchestral format must also have imposed challenges. Despite all this, a selection that includes classics such as those I mentioned before, along with The Godfather, Casablanca, The Pink Panther; along with more recent soundtracks such as The Avengers and The Lord of the Rings, passing through Braveheart with Celtic notes that included a bagpipe (in charge of Juan Carlos Prado), make for a luxury concert anywhere. On top of that, with impeccable arrangements, near-perfect performances and excellent sound, except for a couple of very brief botches that will surely be corrected by post-production. All this in a warm and beautiful theater, the most, right now, in this Havana. There is no doubt, the evening was round.

This concert cannot be reviewed without mentioning the performers, starting with the soloists. The overwhelming violin of Schindler's List played by Yilian Concepción; the saxophone in the hands of Coqui Calzadilla unraveling the unmistakable notes of The Pink Panther; the lute of Sofía Pedrera in the Love Theme of The Godfather, preceded by the overwhelming trumpet solo that starts in the main theme of Nino Rota; or the exquisite voice of Mariana Núñez that stirred emotions in The Lord of the Rings.

Wind solos on Lena Ross' flute and piccolo, Coqui's clarinet and Frank Ernesto's oboe set high notes on several pieces. Mayté Rodriguez's harp was a touch of distinction in Zimmer's score for El origen. The support in several themes of the minimalist and, at the same time, varied percussion of the excellent Janet Pino, flanked by Alejandro Aguiar and Jesús Estrada. And, in general, the performance of the entire orchestra, with the strings standing out in passages such as in Jaws, decisive in creating the tension of the anguished scenes of the shark's approach to the beach, and the final attack.

The Entrevoces Choir entered the stage in the second part of the concert to support the score of The Avengers, and then remained on stage to give body to other pieces that took on monumental tints by adding new sound planes.

Hollywood classics at the Teatro Martí. Photo: Paula Piñeiro Benítez

If I had to point out a low note, it would be the handling of the lights that had to be turned on at times, those in which Daiana, charismatic hostess and energetic orchestra conductor introduced her soloists or gave her thanks. To this I would add two other moments that could have been improved: at the beginning I did not find Damián Salvent's trumpet in Star Wars powerful enough; and at the end, the "false closing" of the show with a The Lion King devoid of the strength of the African rhythms so present in the original score was inappropriate. Other than that, the evening was exciting -very exciting-.

It was a luxury to see Gavilondo wasting energy and López-Gavilán giving us his usual virtuosity. And at the end, to see Daiana and Aldo melt in a long embrace, crowned by a movie kiss. Colophon. Perfect closing for a cinematographic and very musical evening that left the whole room, more than moved, happy.