Zacatecas Symphony Band stopped performing Tchaikovsky's work, in support of Ukraine

After more than 25 years, the Zacatecas Symphony Band broke with the tradition of performing Overture 1812, by Russian master Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, during the Holy Thursday Concert in the city's Plaza de Armas. Salvador García y Ortega, director of the band, spoke about the decision not to play the piece this year:

“It often happens to us that we touch and we don't know things. You see, find out what the lyrics of Overture 1812 say. Then we can't play it here,” he said in an interview for NTR.

The symphonic director added that this is a pronouncement on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in this regard he said: “Fighting for peace in the world, because now it is there, after a while it is here. We can't stand crime anymore.”

The interruption of the traditional interpretation of Overture 1812 comes amid the war between Ukraine and Russia, which recently asked Brazil for help to avoid being expelled from the Fund International Monetary (IMF) and the World Bank.

The musical work Overture 1812 was commissioned from Tchaikovsky in 1880, to be performed for the first time during the inauguration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, an enclosure that Tsar Nicholas I ordered to build to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon Bonaparte's troops. The Zacatecas Symphony Band began performing it during its annual performance on Holy Thursday for more than two decades.

The performance of Zacatecan artists gained great recognition for including elements that were in the scores originally written by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky. Among the details included are the detonations of artillery cannons and the ringing of bells, which were replicated with the help of the bell tower of the Cathedral and the cannoners of the representation of the Moors of Bracho, which is also held in the entity.

García y Ortega, who is currently leading the band, has added choral songs that make up some of the melodies of the Russian play. His father, Maestro Juan Pablo García, was the one who first conducted the interpretation of this Overture and from then on it became an important tradition in the Zacatecan Holy Week celebrations, which was interrupted until this year.

On this occasion, the Traditional Concert of Holy Thursday took place at noon and the Zacatecas Symphony Band played in the company of the choir Los Pequeños Cantores of Zacatecas. This group, founded in 1930, has participated in major international events such as the Closing of the Football World Cup in 1970, it has been presented in the United States and in 2015 it was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Local Legislature.

In addition to this presentation, there is a great cultural and musical offer for the rest of the day, which includes groups that perform songs from different musical genres such as rock, folk, jazz/blues, northern music and syrups. Some of the groups and artists that will be presented are Miriam Xochiquetzal & Arsis Big Band, Los De Abajo, Raudales Dynasty, Ranulfo El Contador and Andrés Margar, Polychromy, among others.

They are all part of the portfolio offered by the Zacatecas Cultural Festival, which this 2022 celebrates its 36th edition. The event, which began on April 8 and will end next Sunday, has a program of more than 120 music, theater, dance and singing activities, as well as workshops, book fair and film.

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