On Sunday, March 15th, as part of the events commemorating the 286th anniversary of the discovery of the Virgin of Suffrage, the Rondalla de la Barqueta held a concert in the Church of San Jaime and Santa Ana. This concert was different and special; different because four conductors led the rondalla, and special because it marked its 40th anniversary.

It was an evening filled with emotion and reunions, bringing together, as in the rondalla’s heyday, some thirty musicians on stage, the four conductors who have led it, and a large audience that included some former members, as well as local authorities, the president and queens of the Patron Saint Festivities, the president of the local social clubs, and representatives from other cultural organizations in the city.

The concert was divided into four parts, one for each conductor. The concert opened with the first conductor, Francisco Pérez Lapera, performing two pieces of his own choosing: “Viaje por España” and the pasodoble “Pérez Barceló,” which premiered with arrangements for rondalla by the conductor himself.

Josep Vives i Lloret followed, choosing “Balalaika Souvenir” and “Jota Valenciana” to once again take the baton of this plucked-string orchestra. Raúl Mahiques Canet then took the helm, leading the Rondalla in performances of “Oblivion” and “De l’aube au crépuscule,” the second movement of “Mandoline Project.”

Finally, Jose Antonio Pastor Ruiz, the current conductor, led the rondalla in “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” as a tribute to all those who shared his passion for music and are no longer with us. Furthermore, he chose the works “The Children of Piraeus” and “Katiuska, the Russian Woman” to close this moving concert.

It had been months of rehearsals and a great deal of work by the musicians and members of the association to ensure everything went well, but after the applause and the emotional faces of the audience, they can be very satisfied with their performance.