BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena

From the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Presented by Tom Redmond

Martin Roscoe (piano)
Nancy Fabiola Herrera (Salud)
Cristina Faus (La abuela)
Raquel Lojendio (Carmela)
Aquiles Machado (Paco)
Josep Miguel Ramón (Manuel)
José Antonio López (Uncle)
Gustavo Peña (Voz de la Fragua)
Segundo Falcón (Cantaor)
Coro RTVE
BBC Philharmonic
Juanjo Mena (conductor)

Juanjo Mena brings an evening of music from his native Spain to the Bridgewater Hall to celebrate his last Manchester concert as Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic.
Falla's opera 'La vida breve', brings colourful, descriptive music, infused with Spanish dance rhythms to a heart-breaking story of unrequited love and class inequality. The BBC Philharmonic is joined by Spanish soloists and Madrid-based choir, Coro RTVE. Martin Roscoe joins the orchestra for Albeniz's 'Rapsodia española' and the concert opens with more music by Albeniz, the Overture to his opera 'The Magic Opal'. Written when the composer was living in England at the end of the nineteenth century it provides a sparkling opening to the concert.