Solidarity crowd at the Teatro Real at the ‘Stradivarius por la dana’ concert

This Monday, January 20, the Royal Theater recorded a full solidarity concert at the charity concert ‘Stradivarius por la dana’, to contribute to the recovery of the cultural and musical fabric of the affected areas.

The recital, organized jointly by National Heritage and the Teatro Real, has received the support of the attendees with a three-minute ovation and numerous cheers.

The concert was chaired by Queen Sofia – who received warm applause from the public upon her arrival and departure – and the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, was also present; the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo; the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres; the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida; mayors of the affected areas and the president of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Valencian Community, Daniela González, among other authorities.

As reported by the Teatro Real, all authorities, including ministers, mayors and representatives of the Valencian Community, have paid their entrance fee and donation, with the exception of the mayors of the affected municipalities, who have been invited, and the president of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Valencian Community.

The proceeds will be allocated mainly to the Federation of Musical Societies of the Valencian Community, but will also cover territories outside this community.

The concert was performed by the Casals Quartet – currently made up of Vera Martínez and Abel Tomàs (violins), Cristina Cordero (viola) and Arnau Tomàs (cello) – which in its 27 years of activity has played 18 times with the instruments. palatial.

During this Monday evening, they performed pieces from the score ‘The Art of Fugue’, the final, mysterious and unfinished work of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), without specific assignment of instruments.

Furthermore, the interpretation of music has reached the public through the four instruments made by Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) that the Royal Palace treasures. National Heritage has moved its Palatine Quartet to the Royal Theater, for the first time in this century, since the instruments have not left the premises of the Royal Palace since 1996.

A STRING QUARTET OF PRICELESS VALUE

The quartet left this Monday at 8:30 a.m. from the Queen’s Antechamber, their usual residence, heading to the Royal Theater, escorted by an important security device, as corresponds to the nature of these assets, of historical-artistic relevance. “incalculable”, as reported by National Heritage.

The instruments have been transported in cases expressly designed to guarantee their protection and conservation and, upon arrival at the Teatro Real, they have passed through the hands of the master luthier José María Lozano, who has tightened the strings and prepared the instruments.

In 1702 Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) offered Philip V, while passing through Cremona, five instruments from his workshop, made and decorated by him: a string quartet and a cello. However, the transaction did not take place and 70 years later the children and heirs of the famous luthier sold the set to Charles III, who gave it to his son, the future Charles IV, a great music lover and violin player.

With the Napoleonic invasion (1808-1813) two of the five instruments disappeared, of which the viola was recovered in 1951 in London, leaving the Royal Palace once again in possession of the complete string quartet, built and decorated by Antonio Stradivari in its period of maturity and conceived to be used as a chamber ensemble with the same sound color and an exceptional timbral combination, which makes it unique in the world.

Also unique is the geometric, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic decoration carried out by Stradivari on the lids, sides and pegs of each instrument, which are signed by their author with the anagram and the year of construction: violins, 1709; viola, 1696; and cello (formerly bass violin), 1694.

Every year, people passionate about classical music can enjoy the Stradivarius in the four concerts that National Heritage programs within the Chamber Music Series, which this year celebrates its 41st edition, and which are always held in the Hall of Columns of the Royal Palace of Madrid.