On Sunday: Amadeus Chamber Ensemble Goes Exploring with “Fiesta Española”

The Amadeus Chamber Ensemble has covered a lot of musical territory over the last several years—with concerts running the gamut from the works of J.S. Bach to the sacred music of Giuseppe Verdi; from the heart of European classics to French opera jewels; from masterpieces of Mozart, Rossini, and Handel. For their final offering of the 2023-24 season in the Cathedral Concert Series, ACE will be delving into the rich cultural heritage of our Latino/Hispanic community. The ensemble will be presenting a tribute to the musical Spanish history that gave birth to a massive variety of instrumental, vocal, and theatrical offspring throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

The Sunday, May 26 concert is entitled Fiesta Española and will showcase opera (Falla’s La Vida Breve); zarzuela (El Barbero de Sevilla and Emigrantes); instrumental works (by Albéniz, Torroba, Turina); and an assortment of canciones (by Obradors and Chapí). The “classical” compositions by these distinguished composers all display a reverence for the multifaceted regional roots of Spanish folk music, including the unique expressions of flamenco artists.

Guest soprano will be Venezuelan soprano, Maria Brea, who was last heard in ACE’s 2023 Mozart Operatic Feast. Concertmaster Miroslav Hristov will be soloist in an arrangement of Albéniz’s Rapsodia Española. Conductor Brian Salesky, who has explored and presented a great deal of this repertoire throughout his career, will lead the full orchestra.

The Cathedral Concert Series is a production of Knoxville’s Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Tickets are free, but ONLINE REGISTRATION is requested.