Beethoven Fest in Altea
By Barry Wright
THE 2023 Beethoven Fest takes place at Altea culture centre from February 19March 5.
The festival features three concerts, with Ludwig van Beethoven as the unifying link between all the performances.
This celebration of the great composer’s music starts on February 19 at 12.00 with the Akram Trio, consisting of María Palacios (clarinet), Desirée Sánchez (cello) and Guillermo Mondéjar (piano).
The first part of the programme will see the trio performing Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat major. This is followed with performances of Oblivion and Adiós Nonino by Astor Piazzolla, and a ‘pop and soul medley’ – all arranged by Guillermo Mondéjar.
Next up on February 26 at 12.00, it is the turn of Oxímoron – a grouping of the Xaloc Ensemble and Pamela Pérez – featuring Ignacio Solana (soprano sax), Antonio Pelló (alto sax), Antonio Barber (tenor sax), Víctor Arques (baritone sax) and pianist Pamela Pérez.
The performance will see the ensemble performing the
Allegro con brio from Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 1 in F major, and Haydn’s Quartet in F Minor. The second part of the programme features Beethoven’s Quintet in E-flat major, and Lisboa, Casablanca and Argel from Pedro Iturralde’s Memorias.
The final concert takes place on March 5 at 12.00 and is by the pianist Antonio Martínez López.
The programme opens with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 31 in A major, and will be followed with Waltz 15 from Brahms’ Sixteen Waltzes.
The second part of the programme features El Albaicín from Isaac Albéniz’s Iberia Suite, and melodies and dance themes from Óscar Esplá’s Suite levantina.
Further information is available from www.alteacul tural.com/beethovenfest
Admission to all concerts is free until the venue reaches capacity.