By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Monday, August 20th sees the closing performance of the 24th Rio International Cello Encounter (RICE) taking place at Sala Cecília Meireles at 8PM, with a celebration of the best moments of the festival which has been commemorating 150 years of Claude Debussy and 100 years of Leonard Bernstein.
This intimate evening of classical and modern music will be honoring not only Debussy and Bernstein but also one of Brazil’s most treasured composers, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and recently deceased MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) composer Paulo Russo.
The evening will feature performances from the RICE cello ensemble, which includes founder of the festival and internationally renowned cellist David Chew, as well as the London Music Club Piano Quartet, Blas Rivera Quartet, the RICE orchestra, and vocal performances from Angelica de la Riva, Juliana Franco, Carla Rizzi and Marcelo Coutinho. There will also be a special dance performance from Cecília Gonzalez and Luciano Bastos.
The program will begin with Claude Debussy’s violin sonatas, along with a selection of his other compositions. This will be followed by Heitor Villa-Lobos’s ‘Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5’ – after which there will be an interval. And then to finish the night, there will be a performance of a selection of pieces from Leonard Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story.’
The Rio International Cello Encounter, created in 1994 by the English cellist and Brazilian resident David Chew, has made its mission to bring together musical virtuosos and dancers from around the world to Rio de Janeiro in order to present performances and give workshops to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Before the festival began, RICE held a special fundraiser in collaboration with the British and Commonwealth society, which was a huge success, raising over R$7,000 for the festival. And this year they have held performances at the ‘Museu do Amanhã’ (Museum of Tomorrow), the ‘Igreja da Candelária’ (Candelária Church) and the ‘Cidade das Artes’ (City of Arts) in Barra da Tijuca.
For fans of classical music, musical theater and those who enjoy supporting a worthy cause, this should be a special night and a worthy send-off of one of Rio’s truly unique festivities.
What: Violonsalada: Encerramento do Rio Cello Encounter 2018
When: Monday, August 20th, 8PM-10PM
Where: Sala Cecília Meireles, Largo da Lapa, 47, 20021-170
Entrance: R$20-R$40