Tenerife Symphony Orchestra to Present 'Breaking the Silence' Concert This Friday

The Tenerife Symphony Orchestra is set to present Breaking the Silence this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Auditorio de Tenerife. More than just a concert, the program explores how personal and environmental challenges shaped the work of three iconic composers: Ethel Smyth, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Johannes Brahms.

Principal guest conductor Pablo González will lead the orchestra, joined by cellist Pablo Ferrández. The evening’s selection traces a journey of self-discovery and artistic identity. It begins with the overture to The Wreckers by Ethel Smyth, a composer whose music was deeply influenced by her role in the British suffragette movement.

The centerpiece of the concert is Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. Since its 1959 debut, the piece has been viewed as a powerful act of intellectual resistance against the creative censorship of the Soviet era. The orchestra notes that the concerto’s technical demands require a performer of Ferrández’s caliber to capture its complex emotional and rhythmic depth. The second half of the evening features Brahms’s First Symphony, a work that captures the composer’s struggle to find his own voice while living in the shadow of Beethoven’s legacy.

To enhance the experience, the orchestra has organized a series of pre-concert events. At 6:30 p.m., Lourdes Bonnet will give a talk in the Sala Avenida, hosted by the Tenerife Association of Friends of Music. This will be followed at 6:45 p.m. by a "Musical Lookout" session in the Galería Castillo, where attendees can learn more about the evening’s program.

For those traveling to the venue, the "Sinfónica Shuttle"—a free bus service provided by Titsa—will run from various locations in the north and south of the island. Passengers must book their seats by 11:00 p.m. this Thursday.