Orquesta Joven de Almería

 December 27 2015

My wife and I attended an excellent concert at the Auditorio Municipal Maestro Padilla in Almería. It featured the Orquesta Joven de Almería and the  Orquesta Infantil de Almería and was conducted by Michael Thomas.

 

The infants performed the carols “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, “Joy to the World”, “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells”. The young children were conducted by Michael Thomas and their performance was quite charming.

Then came it was the Youth Orchestra of Almeria’s turn. The youngsters treated us to an excellent concert that began with ‘Finlandia’ composed by Sibelius.

My wife and I attended this concert for three reasons:

(i)     we had attended a previous concert by the youngsters of the Almería Orchestra (OIAL & OJAL) and had thoroughly enjoyed it;

(ii)    we often attend concerts by the Almería Orchestra (OCAL) conducted by Michael Thomas;

(iii)   we wanted to support our friends Colin and John Whyman who were making a presentation at the concert

Colin & John presented a violin to young Dario Rodriguez Ventura.

This was followed by a speech in Spanish and English by Colin Whyman who, with his brother John, had donated a large collection of records, sheet music and books to the members of OCAL & OJAL.

The Youth Orchestra then performed Edward Elgar’s “Chanson de matin” with young Dario Rodriguez playing the violin.

After a break the orchestra (OJAL) continued their performance  with music by Benjamin Britten, Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang Amadaeus Mozart and Prokofiev before finishing with Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride”.

The Youth Orchestra were then joined with the infants (OIAL) and performed “Silent Night” and the encore – another rendition of “Jingle Bells” with some of the audience joining in (well I did anyway!)

Excellent!

 


other blogs by Robert Bovington:

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Gibraltar

by Robert Bovington

Casemates Square © Robert Bovington

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory occupying a narrow peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. 'The Rock' is just that - a colossal chunk of ancient limestone that was thrust up from the seabed millions of years ago to form what is now the highly visible Rock of Gibraltar.

Its history is inextricably linked to its strategic position. Its first important military encounter was in AD 711 when Tarik-ibn-Zeyed led a huge Moorish army that was to conquer most of the Iberian Peninsula. Moors and Christians fought many battles here during the 14th and 15th centuries and the Spanish Christians finally succeeded in dispatching the Arabs back to Africa in 1462. British forces took the Rock in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession and British sovereignty over Gibraltar was subsequently recognised by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.

Gibraltar attractions include the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. Some 500 species of small flowering plants grow there as does wild olive and pine. As far as fauna is concerned, there are rabbits, foxes and monkeys! Yes, monkeys inhabit the Rock - the Barbary apes are the only wild monkeys in Europe. Other attractions include St Michael's Cave, the Moorish Castle and the Great Siege Tunnels.

 Down in the town centre, Main Street is unmistakably British with Marks and Spencer, BhS, pubs and bright red post boxes. Nearby Casemates Square, however, has a more continental air with many open-air cafes.

Contrary to popular belief the majority of Gibraltarians are not of English or Spanish ancestry - Genoese, Maltese, and Portuguese formed the majority of the population when the Rock was ceded to Great Britain.

English is the official language, which is used for government and business purposes but many Gibraltarians speak Llanito, a mixture of English and Andalucian Spanish.

Robert Bovington

23 Nov 2011

other blogs by Robert Bovington:

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/