FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 94 - ENGLISH

48 ALBERTO JIMÉNEZ BECERRIL FOUNDATION T he Alberto Jiménez-Becerril Foundation Against Terror- ism and Violence held the 8th Alberto and Ascen Memorial Con- cert on 14 December at the Teatro de Capitanía General in Seville. This traditional pre-Christmas event filled every seat in the theatre and featured a musical programme that spanned a variety of styles, catering to the tastes of all the families in attendance. The music was provided, once again, by the SevilleMetropolitan Sympho- ny Orchestra, under the musical di- rection of Rafael Cañete and the tech- nical direction of Francisco Rosado, with Javier Prados as master of cer- emonies. They were in several pieces by the soprano Bruna de Castro. The concert stands out for its dual pur- pose, as it is a charity event in which each invitation was exchanged for the donation of a new toy, which the Foundation handed over to the Red Cross, Andex, the Crecer con Futuro Association and Caritas. Thanks to this gesture of solidarity from those in attendance, children from the city’s most disadvantaged fami- lies received gifts on the morning of Three Kings’ Day. Furthermore, a tribute was paid to Councillor Al- berto Jiménez-Becerril and Public Prosecutor Ascensión García, who were murdered by ETA on 30 Janu- ary 1998, as well as to the other vic- tims of terrorism. To this end, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra premiered the work In Memoriam, by composer José Ángel Esteban. THE 8TH CONCERT IN MEMORIAM ALBERTO AND ASCEN FILLS THE CAPITANÍA GENERAL THEATRE WITH MUSIC AND EMOTION The next piece was a nod to Seville as a city of opera, as the orchestra performed various excerpts from Carmen , Georges Bizet’s masterpiece set in the Andalu- sian capital. To this end, Bruna de Cas- tro sang the famous Habanera aria. Fur- thermore, musicians Claudia Gallardo and José Antonio Moreno performed as soloists, delighting the audience with the pieces ‘Méditation’ from Thaïs and ‘La machine à écrire ’, respectively. Later, classical music and cinema came together in various masterpiec- es that moved the audience, such as ‘Lascia ch’io pianga’ by George Frider- ic Handel; ‘Barcarolle ’ by Jacques Of- fenbach; Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Il- yich Tchaikovsky; and the Waltz from the Jazz Suite by Dmitri Shostakovich, as well as a medley of various pieces, all very familiar to the listeners. As the concert drew to a close, op- era and Bruna de Castro’s voice re- turned to the stage at the Teatro de Capitanía General in Seville, with Giacomo Puccini’s ‘O mio babbino caro ’ and ‘Vissi d’arte ’, and Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Libiamo ne’lieti calici ’. To round off the event in style, the orchestra struck up a musical dia- logue with the audience of over 500 people, welcoming Christmas to the tune of the most traditional carols, which echoed with the voi- ces of everyone present. In addition, the audience was treated to a sta- ple of classical Christmas concert programmes: Johann Strauss Sr.’s Radetzky March , which received a standing ovation, bringing to a close another successful edition of this event organised by the Alberto Jiménez-Becerril Foundation. ASSOCIATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS