Improvisation is an essential part of music and, especially, of jazz, a genre that filled the Cloister of La Nau with its magic and spontaneity on Monday night, June 27th, with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Universitat de València (OFUV) and David Pastor Quartet.
The Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, explored the sounds and rhythmic, harmonic and melodic resources of jazz. With the suggestive title of ‘Strings&Jazz’, the Orchestra shared the stage with the international trumpeter Davis Pastor. The soloist trumpet, one of the most renowned Valencian musicians who has travelled the world developing jazz techniques, was the protagonist of the event. The rhythm of David Pastor Quartet, the drums of Quini Bañuls, the depth of the double bass of José Aimimir and the skilled piano of Francesc Capella played the most symbolic pieces of this genre in a particular and personal way.
‘Strings&Jazz’ opened with the work of Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Wiener Philharmoniker Fanfare, conducted by Beatriz Fernández Aucejo. With the second performance, Kevade by Veljo Tormis (1930-2017), the Orchestra conducted by Martin Sildos, director of the Vanemuine Theatre and main conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Tallinn, showed a perfect execution interrupted by the rain in this unexpected and dynamic event. The musicians, who took shelter in the porticos of the Cloister, continued the concert with Aranjuez Concierto. This fantastic work of Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was arranged by trumpeter David Pastor and by Francesc Capella.
The Philharmonic Orchestra completed this special concert with works like Oda for trumpet, by Alfred Reed (1921-2005); Visto desde arriba, created by David Pastor with an arrangement of Francesc Capella; The swan by Camille Saint Saens (1835-1921); a version of the work by Eric Satie (1866-192), Gymnopédie n.º 1, arranged by Ximo Tebar and Francesc Capella, or Fabes Contades, a work created by David Pastor and arranged, again, by Francesc Capella. Finally, the concert finished with the encore Adiós Nonino by Astor Piazzolla.
La Orquestra Filharmònica de la Universitat de València (OFUV) fue creada en 1995. Tiene una plantilla de 80 jóvenes músicos, mayoritariamente universitarios, la edad mediana de los cuales es de 20 años. Su finalidad es proporcionarles una formación de alta calidad en interpretación orquestal, con profesorado especializado para cada una de las familias instrumentales. Desde que se fundó hasta el año 2010 estuvo dirigida por Cristóbal Soler; desde 2011 hasta agosto de 2018 por Hilari García; y desde septiembre de 2018 Beatriz Fernández Aucejo es su directora titular.
The Serenades Festival, co-produced by the Universitat de València and the Valencian Institute of Culture, has had overwhelming success throughout its history and has been developed in conjunction with the Valencian Provincial Council, Valencia’s City Hall through the Palau de la Música de València, the Valencian Provincial Council, the Banco Sabadell Foundation, the Bancaja Foundation, the College of Art and Design of Valencia (EASD) and the Women’s Legacy project.
