An Advance of the programme of the 58th edition of the Santander International Festival

21/05/09.- The Programme of the 58th edition of the Santander International Festival is made up of an intensive schedule of summer and festive events which seek to blend the historic heritage of our European past with the attractive intercultural future in a dazzling new Europe. From 31 July to 29 August more than seventy artistic events can be enjoyed in both the Palacio de Festivales of Cantabria, as well as in the Historic Settings.
The commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the passing of Georg Friedrich Haendel (1685-1759); the 2nd centenary of the passing of Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809); the 2nd centenary of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847); the centenary of the passing of Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), and Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909), and the 10th anniversary of the passing of Enrique Gran (1928 - 1999), form the backbone of this year's programme.
Unlike the 2008 programme, this year's edition will see the world of song and stage featuring especially, and once again we have decided upon important international opera productions, along with the presence of prestigious voices and stage directors, as well as highly attractive titles.
The present edition will open with a Spanish premiere production of Donizetti's "La Favorite" from the Municipal Theatre of Santiago, Chile directed by Hugo de Ana. Special mention also must go to the arrival from New York's Broadway a production of Bernstein's "West Side Story", and the recital of José Cura, one of the greatest tenors of the moment.
As far as the Historic Settings programme is concerned, pivotal themes this year will be: Spanish colour, From Old to New Europe; Recovered Traditions; Before the 21st century; Intercultural Nansa: Cultures songs - from the Mediterranean to the Caspian, in collaboration with the Marcelino Botín Foundation; Music from the times of the expulsion of the Moors, in collaboration with the State Society for Cultural Commemorations.