The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception shone with its new lighting system, inaugurated on Friday night with a special evening that included a concert in Plazuela República.
Talented singers participated in the musical production of the Instituto de Cultura, Turismo y Arte de Mazatlán, all trained in the Opera Workshop directed by maestro Enrique Patrón de Rueda, accompanied by the Guillermo Sarabia Choir and the Camerata Mazatlán, under the baton of maestro Sergio Freeman.
During the concert, the voices of sopranos Rebeca de Rueda and Vanessa Gama; tenors Alejandro Yépez and Eduardo Tapia and baritone Rodolfo Ituarte shone.
It was an unforgettable night. The Plazuela República was transformed into an open-air stage, with an audience that filled the space to enjoy the musical evening. At the end, the illumination of the exterior of the Cathedral created a magical atmosphere, with the music that resonated in the night air.
The program included masterpieces of the lyrical and operatic repertoire, created in the context of the opera and zarzuela of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The audience enjoyed: from Intermezzo e Innegiamo al signor, de Cavalleria Rusticana, de Mascagni, Intermedio de “Las Bodas de Luis Alonso”, de Gerónimo Giménez (1896), “No puede ser”, “Amor vida de mi vida”, de la zarzuela “Gato de Montés”, de Manuel Penella (1916), ”Mazurca de las sombrillas”, de Francisco Alonso (1935), Obertura de Carmen, de Georges Bizet (1875), one of the most famous works of French opera.
La Donna e mobile, by Giuseppe Verdi (1851), an aria that highlights vocal ability captivated the audience who also applauded the interpretation of “Va pensiero” by Verdi (1842), a chorus that symbolizes the fight for freedom and unity and The Toast from La Traviata, by Verdi (1853), an aria that shows the passion and emotion of the opera.
The Guillermo Sarabia Choir, directed by Martha Félix and Enrique Patrón de Rueda, accompanied the soloists on this magical night.
In the Plazuela the audience was carried away by the beauty of the music and in this atmosphere of emotion the three speakers of the night went up on stage: the Bishop of the Diocese of Mazatlán, Monsignor Mario Espinosa Contreras, who thanked the Choir, the soloists and the maestro Sergio Freeman, for their participation during this special event.
“May justice, fraternity, peace, solidarity and love shine more in our lives and may God illuminate our hearts so that we can appreciate the light that shines on the face of Christ,” he said.
Afterwards, Father Adán Pazos Sánchez said that the Cathedral was illuminated to remind us that God is the hope of our lives.
Finally, businessman Amado Guzmán Reynaud, president of the Patronato del Centro Histórico Mazatlán IAP, thanked those who participated in the project of lighting the Mazatlán Cathedral and expressed that this achievement is a testimony that the people of Mazatlán “are doing what we have to do to take care of our community.”
The special concert in Plazuela República, within the framework of the inauguration of the lighting of the exterior and interior of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, was a success, demonstrating once again the cultural and artistic wealth of Mazatlán.
