The “Christmas Gala 2017” had its first of three functions on Thursday night and endorsed that for the Instituto de Cultura de Mazatlan, this event is the “the cherry on the cake” of the Cultural Festival Mazatlan.
The lobby of the Angela Peralta Theater shed the warmth, joy and faith that Christmas entails with a colorful atmosphere with lights and Christmas trees that was centered on Santa Claus and his wife, who took photographs with children of all ages as a prelude to the artistic show.
As soon as the curtain went up, the music, the candles, the poinsettia flowers, the colorful costumes and the enthusiasm of the artists unleashed the power that the Christmas paraphernalia has engraved in the hearts through generations: childhood, family unity, the awareness that a year is coming to an end, the rejoicing of friendship and the hope for a better world.
The Camerata Mazatlán, under the direction of Percival Álvarez; the Angela Peralta Choir, directed by maestro Antonio González; the Children´s Choir of the Instituto de Cultura de Mazatlán, coordinated by Mariela Angulo; the Dance Company of Mazatlan and the Municipal School of Classical Ballet, led by maestros Zoila Fernández and Guillermo Carrillo, were the pillars of a show that passed with agility and moments of elegance, candor, tenderness, romance, extravagance and solemnity.
“Come All ye children singing”, “Oh, Come, all ye faithful”, “The Secret of Christmas, Say One for Me”, established the tones dominated during the evening: rejoicing, warmth and parsimony, natural elements of the tradition Anglo-Saxon that allowed the public to know the foundations and historical-cultural origins of Christmas that have spread throughout the planet.
In contrast, the carols of Spain, Russia, Cuba and Latin America drew a universal celebration in which races, colors, sounds, ideologies and traditions share ideals and transform and interpret them according to their temperaments: Iberian sensuality, Russian vigor and Latin delicacy filled the theater with nuances.
In addition, the powerful interpretation of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” to the rhythm of big band and the surprising appearance of a horde of “Santas” who descended the balconies of the theater detonated the laughter, the surprise and the self-confidence in children and adults that could not stay in their seats with so much emotion.
In the final part of the event, songs like “Noche de Paz” were the ideal showcase for the voices of the soloists of the Christmas Gala: Sarah Holcombe, Andrés Carillo, Cecilia Gómez Bernal, José Carlos Vázquez Lizárraga, Radha Murillo and Cesia Ibeth Olivares, loaded from beginning to end with the vocal weight of the night, and together with them, the ballet soloists were the center of this “Christmas Gala 2017”.
As if this were not enough, at the end of the show tamales, donuts, punch, churros and esquites finished the task of seducing the audience´s senses and the children burst with joy when hitting the piñata that hung the balconies of the Teatro Ángela Peralta in this function of the “Christmas Gala 2017” which is repeated this Friday, and Saturday, at 8:00 p.m. The tickets have a cost of $100, 200, 250,300, 350 pesos and are available at the box office of the Angela Peralta Theater and La Gran Plaza.