Cinema concert stands out as an extraordinary show, as usual by Holguin Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Maestro Oreste Saavedra, it gathered magicians, cosplayers, oral narrators and lyrical artists on the main stage of Comandante Eddy Suñol Theater, who, together with the band, revisited the soundtracks of iconic films.
With performances such as “Oda a mi ciudad”, “Flauta Mágica: Selecciones en concierto” and “Sinfonía con-de-nada” with comedian Kike Quiñones, just to mention three very recent examples, Saavedra has proven to be a multifaceted creator: an orchestra conductor who trusts in his musicians and challenges them, beyond interpretation, bringing to the cultural fact the authenticity that others, perhaps for convenience, do not experience.
Such gifts for artistic direction can be appreciated in Cinema concert, which Maestro Saavedra has been devising for a long time, as he told Radio Angulo Digital in an exclusive interview:
“It is not the first one, in Holguín, inspired by that ancient marriage between music and the seventh art, that is why I wanted this one to be distinguished by the parallel cinematographic projection. However, the idea was not enough for me, until I learned about the existence in the city of a cosplayer community, made up of the groups Coliseo and Banzai, with which we could bring certain characters from the screen to the stage”.
Saavedra says that, not yet convinced that he had achieved the perfect formula for the show, he kept calling other talented artists from Holguín: magician Manuel Alberto Mola, lyric singers like teacher Sonia Camejo and young soprano Dania Laura López and oral narrators Yordanis Sera and Fermín López, the latter would be in charge of directing the actors.
Lights, sound… action!
Sonia Camejo and Dania Laura López, members of the Bella Voce group, are honored by the new call of Maestro Saavedra to accompany him on stage, which they have shared several times.
“There is an element of the show: the musicals, which without the singers would not be possible. Such is the case of ‘Phantom of the Opera’, which requires special vocal and technical conditions,” says Sonia, who is also head of the Lyric Singing Department of the Holguin branch of the University of the Arts (ISA).
Julio César Hidalgo and Camilo Cuenca, besides showing off their colorful costumes, are the makers of those incredible costumes and accessories, many of them conceived exclusively for “Cinema”.
They are advocates of cosplay – a contraction of the English term “costume play” – a phenomenon that emerged around 1970 in Japan, in which it is common for its practitioners to play their favorite characters from comics, books, anime, manga, video games and, above all, movies.
“Despite the wide audience we already have, it has been very difficult for us to insert the expensive of Cinema concert in the cultural panorama of Holguín,” says Julio César, an experienced cosplayer who thanks Oreste for the opportunity to break down prejudices about this contemporary artistic manifestation.
Camilo explains that they have not only taken care of creating the costumes: “We also prepared to act, showing the original feelings and values of each character while the orchestra plays the soundtrack of the film”.
To prove that the “magic of cinema” truly exists, that which has captivated so many throughout history, magician Manuel Alberto Mola is in charge of bringing unforgettable moments from films such as “The Illusionist” or “The Great Trick” to the stage.
The relationship between cinema and magic is as old as the seventh art itself, recalls Mola, thanks to the contributions of the French illusionist and filmmaker Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, famous for leading a great technical and narrative development at the dawn of cinematography.
Cinema was a unique spectacle. Photo: Heidi Calderón
For more than an hour, unmistakable chords such as those of “Pink Panther” (1963), “Star Wars” (1977), “Cinema Paradiso” (1988), “Harry Potter” (2001), “The Lord of the Rings” (2001) and “Pirates of the Caribbean” (2003) are heard in “Cinema”, to which are added a good design of lights and sound effects and the close relationship of the cast with the audience.
Although the cultural calendar of Holguín still has other artistic events that are surely transcendent, Cinema concert has earned from now on, if not the Award, a sure nomination to Cultural Event of the Year, a condition granted by the Circle of Cultural Journalists of Holguín and supported by the public with their prolonged applause.
With infromation by Aniel Santiesteban García
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