Havana to host classical music festival honoring renowned Cuban artist

HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 1 (ACN) The 4th edition of the Habana Clásica Festival, to be held Nov. 5-20 in Havana's main concert halls, will pay tribute to Cuban violinist and composer Claudio Jose Domingo Brindis de Salas y Garrido (1852-1911) on the 170th anniversary of his birth.

At a press conference held Tuesday at the Center for the Interpretation of Cuba-Europe Relations, Luis Ernesto Doñas, deputy artistic director of the event, referred to the presentation, on Nov. 6, of a monologue at the Paula Church, site where the ashes of the eminent musician and composer known as the black Paganini are laid to rest.

Marcos Madrigal, pianist and artistic director of Habana Clasica, commented that the event goes beyond its condition as a music festival and reaches other manifestations such as dance and theater.

A special moment, the pianist stressed, will be the show dedicated to the Swiss embassy to Cuba, one of the institutions sponsoring the Festival.

German violinist Linus Roth, professor Daiana Garcia, leading the Havana Chamber Orchestra, and Madrigal himself will be part of the tribute to that diplomatic headquarters in Cuba, which, along with the Ministry of Public Health, allows Habana Clasica to reach hospital institutions where people can enjoy concert music.

With around 50 artists from 11 countries, the 4th edition of the Habana Clasica Festival has among its main organizers the Office of the Historian of the city and its associated institutions, including the Esteban Salas Musical Heritage Cabinet and the Mozartian Lyceum of Havana.