Falla and Lorca, from the local to the universal
Navarra Symphony Orchestra

 Thursday, February 5, 7:30 p.m.
 €16, €18
MUN Theatre

Ignacio García-Vidal, director
Mariola Membrives, singer

The Navarra Symphony Orchestra returns to the MUN with a proposal for aesthetic reflection coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the birth of Manuel de Falla.

Manuel de Falla and Federico García Lorca maintained a brotherly friendship since they met in Granada in 1920. Their bond was always based on mutual admiration and a shared artistic desire: to transform the local into the universal.

On this 150th anniversary of the birth of the maestro from Cadiz, the Navarre Symphony Orchestra offers the MUN a proposal for aesthetic reflection, a space where, in balance with the essence of folklore, we find a multifaceted view of the avant-garde of the 20th century. We find this perspective in the musical language of Revueltas and in the post-impressionist colors of Falla, but there is also a glimpse between the lines of Picasso, who designed the sets and costumes for the ballet "El sombrero de tres picos" (The Three-Cornered Hat). This avant-garde aesthetic finds its counterpoint, or its roots, in the Spanish folk songs that Lorca compiled and harmonized, sung by Mariola Membrives, a descendant of the Lorca actress Lola Membrives.

Ignacio García-Vidal

PROGRAM

I

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
The Three-Cornered Hat: Suite No. 1

• 1. Introduction – Midday
• 2. Dance of the Miller's Wife
• 3. The Magistrate
• 4. Grapes

Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) (orch. José Ramón Hernández Bellido)
Spanish folk songs (selection)

• 1. Chinitas coffee
• 2. The waiters of Monleón
• 3. Lullaby from Seville
• 4. The kings of the deck

II

Silvestre Revueltas (1899–1940)
Tribute to Federico García Lorca

• I. Dance
• II. Mourning
• III. They are

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
El amor brujo (Ballet Suite)

• 1. Introduction and Scene
• 1b. In the Cave (The Night)
• 2. Song of Heartbreak
• 3. The Apparition
• 4. Dance of Terror
• 5. The Magic Circle (Romance of the Fisherman)
• 6. At midnight, the spells
• 7. Ritual Dance of Fire
• 8. Scene
• 9. Song of the Will-o'-the-Wisp
• 10. Pantomime
• 11. Dance of the Game of Love
• 12. Finale: The Bells of Dawn

IGNACIO GARCÍA-VIDAL

Ignacio García-Vidal (Cocentaina, 1979) is an orchestra conductor and musicologist with a deep humanistic background and extensive artistic experience. Since 2026, he has been the Principal Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Uruguay (OSSODRE).

He regularly conducts major orchestras in prestigious theaters around the world, such as the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, the Teatro Solís in Montevideo, and the Théâtre National de Argel. He has worked with the leading Spanish orchestras, such as the OCRTVE, the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (Palau de Les Arts), and the symphony orchestras of Bilbao, Tenerife, Navarra, Principado de Asturias, ADDA de Alicante, Granada, Extremadura, Las Palmas, and Murcia. He has also conducted the Argentine National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Symphony Orchestras of Salta, Córdoba, Rosario, Santa Fe, Mar del Plata, and Tucumán, as well as the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (OSPA), and the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theater of Brasilia, as well as the Orchestre Symphonique National Algerienne (Algeria), the Kiev National Radio Orchestra (Ukraine), and the philharmonic orchestras of Würzburg in Germany, Montevideo in Uruguay, Gran Canaria in Spain, and Quito in Ecuador, among others. His profound judgment and personal empathy result in artistic experiences that are applauded by audiences and critics alike.

MARIOLA MEMBRIVES

Mariola Membrives is one of the most distinctive and innovative voices on the Spanish music scene. A singer, actress, and creator, her work spans flamenco, jazz, and roots music, with an artistic approach that is powerfully theatrical and uniquely personal.

She has released four albums, from Llorona (2013, with Masa Kamaguchi) to Ajuares (2024), a compilation of 23 covers of jazz, copla, and Latin American classics. Her album Lorca. Spanish Songs (2019), with guitarist Marc Ribot, was considered one of the most important of the year. La Babilonia (2022), her own work, has been acclaimed for its poetic, symbolic, and experimental power.

He has worked with artists such as Chano Domínguez, Chicuelo, Renaud García-Fons, Tino di Geraldo, and La Fura dels Baus, and has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the OBC, the GIO Symphonie, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has taken his music to stages in Spain, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Morocco, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and France, including the Festival de Nîmes and the Festival Aux Fil des Voix in Paris. She has created and performed stage productions such as La Enamorada, Sed Libera Nos a Malo, La Fiera, Omega 20.16, and Llorona, which premiered at venues such as the Teatre Grec in Barcelona. In 2025, she will present Canciones de Amor y Libertad(Songs of Love and Freedom), together with Renaud García-Fons, commissioned by the Barnasants Festival.

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF NAVARRA

Founded in 1879 by violinist and composer Pablo Sarasate, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra/Nafarroako Orkestra Sinfonikoa (OSN/NOS) is the oldest active orchestra on the Spanish symphonic scene. In 2016, it became part of the Baluarte Foundation and the official orchestra of the Autonomous Community of Navarra. Perry So has been its principal conductor and artistic director since September 2022. 

In its most recent phase, the OSN/NOS has performed in major concert halls, seasons, and festivals both in Spain and abroad. Internationally, its performances at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (2008–2009 season) and the Malta Summer Festival (2022) are particularly noteworthy. 

The OSN/NOS holds an annual season of subscription concerts in Pamplona (Baluarte Auditorium), Tudela (Gaztambide Theater), and Tafalla (Tafalla Kulturgunea Cultural Center) and collaborates with the Fundación Baluarte's main season. It also runs the Andante cycle, bringing the great symphonic repertoire to numerous towns in the region. 

Committed to society and education, the orchestra carries out intensive educational and social work throughout Navarre through the Baluarte Foundation's Educational and Social Program, with proposals for families, activities for young people, proposals for educational centers, experiences for the well-being of vulnerable people, activities for the protection of children, and programs open to the public.