The International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada

The International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada will take place from 19.06 to 10.07.2015.

During the Festival we will be able to enjoy several of the great works of music history: all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas played by nine Spanish pianists; the depths and lyricism of the sonatas for violin and piano performed by the violinist Anna-Sophie Mutter; Mahler’s Symphony no. 1 conducted by Eliahu Inbal with the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE; Sibelius’ Symphony no. 2 with the Paris Orchestra conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste; Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody at the hands of Joaquin Achúcarro, and Bruch’s violin concert performed by the French violinist Renaud Capuçon. And to cap the cycle of symphony concerts, the Paris Orchestra will play three beautiful pieces which symbolise the French 20th century repertoire conducted by Josep Pons.

Also featuring on the Festival’s programme is music from the Renaissance. There is baroque music, the classical guitar of the master Pepe Romero and the flamenco guitar played by Vicente Amigo and the young Juan Habichuela “Nieto”, the minimalist music of Wim Mertens and music sung in pursuit of a better world by Noa with the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. The flamenco voice of Estrella Morente returns to the Palace of Charles V in all its profundity.

The International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada also has commissioned La Fura dels Baus to produce an up-to-date version of El Amor Brujo.

Music and verse appear in the hands of two outstanding actors: John Malkovich will premiere his theatrical version of Beethoven’s Egmont with the Orchester Wiener Akademie and, on the fifth anniversary of the birth Saint Teresa of Jesus, the Spanish actress Blanca Portillo will star in a poetry night in the Court of the Myrtles reciting poems by the saint to the accompaniment of music of the period.

But the Festival is not only music. It is dance too, and choreography. We will enjoy the great works of classical dance with the Vienna Opera Ballet. Liam Scarlett will present a new version of Carmen with a choreography danced by the Norwegian National Ballet. Víctor Ullate will bring us his “dance of life”, Samsara, looking eastwards, while Antonio Najarro and the Spanish National Ballet return to the Generalife Theatre with Spanish and flamenco dance.

We will also experience the avant-garde production by Sasha Waltz & Guests who has choreographed The German Requiem by Brahms, one of the most representative works in the history of European music. Performed by the Berlin Radio Choir, it offers a special vision of this work, known as the Human Requiem, in which the audience is immersed in and surrounded by the music of Brahms.

For further information visit: www.granadafestival.org or download the Programme as an PDF