A festival of waltzes and dances by the OSV

The waltz is a type of music and a dance that seems to be reserved for the great moments in life. It’s the first music to be played at wedding parties and can also be heard on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Perhaps that’s because it’s a dance that send people twirling in circles, underlining the idea that every ending is a new beginning. If it takes your fancy to see off the old year to a 3/4 rhythm, the Orquestra Simfònica de Sabadell (OSV) will be offering a complete repertoire at Palau de la Música at 7pm on 17 December.

Conducted by Arthur Post, and with the participation of the soprano Sara Blanch, the concert is divided into two parts. In the first, the orchestra will play pieces by Franz von Suppé, Albert Ketelbey and Leroy Anderson, among other. The second part features works by Émile Waldteufel, Jacques Offenbach i, és clar, and, of course, some of the famous waltzes composes by different members of the Strauss family, among them The Blue Danube, with which the evening will probably end.

Arthur Post, who divides his time between Girona and Canadà – where he is the musical director of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra – will be making his debut with the OSV at this concert. He is renowned for his innovative spirit and for a style that combines depth and versatility. He was previously the musical director of the San Juan Symphony Orchestra in San Juan, Colorado, where he worked with some of the leading names on the American scene. He has also conducted the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphonic, the London Mozart Players and the Singapore Symphonic, as well as working with prestigious figures such as Lorin Maazel and Zubin Mehta. In Catalonia he is a frequent collaborator with the Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and he has also conducted the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC). Sara Blanch was born in Darmós (Tarragona) and won no fewer than seven prizes in the last edition of the Francesc Viñas competition. She is considered to be one of the most promising voices in Catalan opera. She has been artist in residence at the Perelada Festival and this season has performed in opera houses including the Liceu, the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville.