Tenerife's 31st Christmas Concert Draws 8,500, Benefits Charities
The 31st Puertos de Tenerife Christmas Concert captivated 8,500 attendees and millions of viewers with a program of world dances and festive carols performed by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and guest soloists, while raising funds for three local charities.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife's Dársena de Los Llanos was the focus of attention this Thursday night. For the 31st time, it hosted a special event celebrating music and community spirit. The Puertos de Tenerife Christmas Concert drew 8,500 ticket-holders. Many more watched from home, with hundreds of thousands tuning in on La 2 of Televisión Española, and a potential 400 million viewers on its International Channel.
The Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, led by its principal guest conductor Pablo González, performed a program centered on world dances. They were joined by guest soloists: mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera, tenor Juan Antonio Sanabria, and violinist Javier Comesaña.
The concert opened with Mikhail Glinka's overture to Ruslan and Ludmila. This was followed by vocal performances, including the Habanera from Georges Bizet's Carmen, and Maria and the Mambo from Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story.
The violin then took the spotlight with the second movement of Édouard Lalo's Symphonie espagnole and Pablo de Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs). These pieces were interspersed with Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 and Zoltán Kodály's Dances of Galánta.
Spanish zarzuela music was also a key part of the program, featuring excerpts from José Serrano's El trust de los tenorios, Ruperto Chapí's Las hijas del Zebedeo, and the intermezzo from Gerónimo Giménez's Las bodas de Luis Alonso.
The audience was already captivated when the Christmas carols began. Arranged by Emilio Coello, these festive songs marked the end of the concert. They included Una sobre el mismo mar by Benito Cabrera (orchestrated by Peter Hope), followed by the famous Radetzky March by Johann Strauss Sr.
Ticket sales, at five euros each, raised funds for charity. The DISA Foundation added another 20,000 euros. As with every year, the total money collected will go to three social causes. This year, the beneficiaries are Pequeño Valiente, Down Tenerife, and Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados.