Dear friends,

We continue to once again organise the International Chamber Music Festival, which will turn 17 years old this upcoming summer. I don’t believe anyone doubts that we’re living in troubled times. As a musician, I’ve repeatedly asked myself which is my role within this complex society, and how can I help it become just a little bit better. Is Music simply a luxury? In such times, filled with confrontation, lies, fake news, continued aggressions against human rights, I believe —and I’m sure I’m not alone— that Music is more necessary than ever. Music —Art— holds an undestructible truth. Music, as a whole, moves the body, the emotions, it has a transformative power. It can bring out the best in each human being.

The Festival 2025 will have as its main theme the idea of spirituality, to which music transports us. Spirituality in a wide, human sense, as the dimension in which we reflect, do some instrospection, know ourselves better, and discover corners of our soul that only Music can reach. Bach’s music will hover over concerts and talks, in so many different ways. Bach’s been classified as the composer who writes for “God”. This metaphor is not only related to the music that Bach wrote for religious occasions —which amounts to a great number— but goes so much further: his music is beauty in its purest form, it’s music that transcends the everyday, it’s kindness, an abstract space in which to find ourselves.

The central programme in the Festival is the musical-theatrical show created by Dutch violist Esther Apituley, who performed it among us in 2018. This year we will stage it once more using a new production, and intending to bring it to many other theatres after its premiere in Godella. “Bach llava més blanc” (“Bach & bleik” in its original Dutch) tells the story of how a cleaning lady ends up meeting a great international soloist onstage, and through her and music by Bach and several other composers and musical styles, discovers a different world than she knew: the spiritual dimension of her soul. During the presentation of this show, scriptwriter Ko van den Bosch talks about “the journey from the everyday to sublimity through triviality, or how a cleaning lady disappears into infinity while mopping the floors.” It’s a piece for the great public, which will make you laugh and probably also cry.

On the other hand, we deliver a humble homage to a composer who —after working in Berlin for decades— came to Valencia, where he remained until his unfortunate death last year. His name was Lorenzo Palomo, and he was firmly linked to Valencia also during his youth. In the opening concert we will perform his suggestive piece “Cantos del alma” (Songs of the soul), with texts penned by Juan Ramón Jiménez and sung by soprano Isabel Monar. The programme will be rounded off with more music by Palomo and pieces by R. Schumann and A. Katchaturian. Both “Songs of the soul” and Bach’s spirituality have inspired us to choose this theme for the Festival.

The closing concert will also have Bach as main protagonist, through his profane cantata “Angenehmes Wiederau” (Nice Wiederau). This concert will include, as always, the participatory choir, the Festival orchestra and young emerging voices.

Quite an important concert will take place on July 10th, when we’ll have the chance of listening to two great piano players, Josu de Solaun and Carles Marín, in a recital for four hands. You wouldn’t want to miss it!

This year will also see our traditional workshop for Young Talent, together with a new chamber music contest which aims to aid both students and professional beginners to display their talent, and help launch the difficult adventure which entails creating a stable chamber music ensemble. All contest sessions will be open to the audience, so we encourage you to attend, listen and support the rising stars which will visit us in the near future.

We’re also premiering a programme for Emerging Talent, giving space to young professional musicians. Some of them are alumni from previous chamber music workshops, and as of this moment, are starting their career. Having them here, working on their passion for chamber music, gives enormous joy to the organisers, for it means coming full circle and creating a family that spans generations around the Festival.

I’m also quite certain that you won’t want to miss either the gastronomic concert, the cultural walk or any of the other events that we’re preparing for you all.

I hope you enjoy all these proposals —we’re certainly working hard and with enthusiasm for it to be so!

See you in July.
Warm hugs,
Joan Enric Lluna