Concert Guide: Impressionist Season Opener with a Touch of Late Romanticism

An evening that smells of colors and big emotions

Anyone heading to the Auditorium on the season opener knows: it won't be a sober concert evening. Even on entering, something is in the air — damp asphalt after a brief shower, the scent of coffee, and the excitement of the people in the rows. Pablo Mielgo has put together the program that sways between impressionist soundscapes and late-Romantic intensity.

Opening: Turina and his small, great meditation

The intro is Oración del torero by Joaquín Turina. Not a loud opening, but a compressed scene: a torero before a chapel, a breath, a prayer. On stage, the orchestra unfolds this silence in warm, sometimes surprisingly sparing colors. It is as if someone dims the interior lighting of an arena — very intimate, very Andalusian.

Spanish nights and French in-between tones

Manuel de Falla then brings us into the middle of the Noches en los jardines de España: piano and orchestra paint Basque/southern moods, sometimes like a walk by the sea after sunset. Here the young pianist Davide Cabassi gets a turn. Technically precise, with his own pulse — you can tell that he does not simply copy the traditional colors, but reinterpret them.

Between these Spanish moments stands Debussy's Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, that quiet, slightly sleepy dream of a faun. Those who often know it only from recordings suddenly experience the air between the notes here — as if the sun over Parc de la Mar paused for a moment.

Conclusion: Strauss' Don Juan — storm in the orchestra

For the finale, Richard Strauss turns up the intensity: Don Juan is not a nice hero, but a driven man. The orchestra grows, rubs against tempi and dynamics, and suddenly you have the feeling of sitting beside a bold as well as dangerous rascal. It is dramatic, not always comfortable — but impressive.

If you want to assemble your own playlist: On Spotify and Amazon Music many of the pieces appear in fresh interpretations. Tickets and details are available as usual on the Auditorium's website — tip: arrive early, there is often a small stand in the foyer with program booklets and, yes, really good espresso.

I walked along the harbor for a while after the concert, notes in my head, the audience half debating, half satisfied. Such evenings stay with you — because they have both the soft in-between tones and the big waves.