CANTO GENERAL of Mikis Theodorakis & Pablo Neruda -10 & 11 June 2023, Solothurn & Olten, Switzerland
Vangelis Trigas and Antonis Sideris will participate as soloists in the ORATORIO CANTO GENERAL written by MIKIS THEODORAKIS for two solo
voices, mixed choir and orchestra on texts from the cycle of poems CANTO GENERAL by the Chilean poet PABLO NERUDA
CANTO GENERAL – Mikis Theodorakis & Pablo Neruda
- 10.06.2023
Saturday, June 10, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. | Solothurn Concert Hall
Sunday, June 11, 2023 | 5:00 p.m. | Olten Peace Reformed Church
ORATORIO for two solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra by the Greek composer MIKI THEODORAKI on texts from the cycle of poems CANTO GENERAL by the Chilean poet PABLO NERUDA
Contributors:
- Choir Les Marmottes Solothurn &; Project Choir Olten
- Araceli Fernández González, soprano
- Álvaro Etcheverry, baritone
- Vangelis Trigas & Antonis Sideris, Bouzouki
- Daniel Hoffmann, Silvan Joray & Heinz M. Strohbach, guitar
- Jonas Lüscher, electric bass
- Adalbert Roetschi&; EvelyneGrandy, piano
- Marc Draeger, Drums
- Lorenz Bendel&; IvoMohr, percussion
- Martin Kuhn, Technician
- Stefan Schmid, conductor
“Canto General” (The Great Song) is a cycle of poems by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda about Latin America’s struggle against colonialism. Created in 1950, Canto General deals with all that defines life and is unparalleled in its human theme, fighting spirit and historical scope. Persecuted by the thugs of the dictatorship, Pablo Neruda wrote “Canto General” hidden in yards, chambers and huts. These experiences have been incorporated into the work and yet give disenfranchised people hope and perspective for the future. Parts of this cycle of poems were adapted by the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis into “Oratorio for 2 solo voices with mixed chorus and orchestra”. The premiere was supposed to have taken place at the stadium in Santiago, Chile, but a few days before the concert, on September 11, 1973, the democratically elected government under Salvador Allende was overthrown, he was assassinated, and the performance date was postponed for an unknown time. Shortly after the coup of September 23, 1973, Pablo Neruda died of heart failure.