Instituto Cervantes & the Spanish Embassy bring classical Spanish music to Ayala Museum

MANILA, Philippines - On the occasion of the 5th centennial of the arrival of the Europeans to the Pacific Ocean, Instituto Cervantes and the Spanish Embassy, in collaboration with Ayala Museum, present the piano and violin concert “From Acapulco to Manila: Spanish Music Across Two Oceans.” The concert, performed by Spanish pianist Maria Luz Rivera and violinist Raquel Rivera, will be held at Ayala Museum on Dec. 10, 7 p.m.

It was in September 1513 when Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa landed in the Western coast of Panamá and saw for the first time “la otra mar” (the Other Sea”) which later was to be called the Pacific Ocean. That was the first chapter of an intense series of economic and cultural exchanges along the centuries. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of that historical landmark, this concert by the Rivera Duo aims to show the impact of that event on the musical world, which launched not only the political but also the cultural influence of Spain on the lands surrounding the Atlantic and the Pacific.

This program will feature pieces by Spain’s Manalt (1710-1759), a composer who exerted great influence in America, and Cuban musician Joaquín Nin (1879 to 1949). The great Enrique Granados is also present with his Sonata, a romantic masterpiece. Pieces from Spanish composers such as Isaac Albéniz and Manuel de Falla will also be played at the concert. Filipino music will likewise be present in the program with Marcelo Adonay’s works Meditacioìn Luìgubre No. 2, Meditacioìn Luìgubre No. 3 and Munting Waltz.

This is not the first time Dúo Rivera will bring their music to the Philippines. The Rivera sisters performed in Manila back in 2009, invited by Instituto Cervantes de Manila. Their visit in 2009 triggered their interest in Filipino classical music as they started researching about its rich repertoire. “Thanks to the help of UP’s Adonay Research Team, scholar Elena Mirano and Darmouth University’s professor William Summers,” Raquel Rivera confesses, “we got to know Marcelo Adonay’s production, and now we would like to continue exploring his work, as well as the interesting world of Filipino sarswela, that is very closely related to the Spanish zarzuela.”

Sisters Raquel Rivera and María Luz Rivera, members of this violin and piano duet, are promoting Spanish classical music. Founded in the year 2000, the Dúo Rivera has performed many pieces by Spanish composers both classical and contemporary, in concerts across Spain, Europe, the Americas and Asia.

At the moment, the Dúo Rivera is developing several musical projects, focused mainly on classical and contemporary Spanish music for piano and violin, and especially Galician production. On the one hand, this duet has performed pieces by some of the less known Spanish composers, recovering their work and promoting it worldwide. But the Dúo Rivera has also worked on other interdisciplinary projects, joining music with other arts, in homage to some key figures of Spanish repertoire.

Instituto Cervantes de Manila
is 855 T.M. Kalaw St., 1000 Ermita, Manila. For information, call 526-1482,
fax 526-1449, or visit
http://manila.cervantes.es.