October 9, 2021: Concert of the Spanish Orchestra Orquesta Sinfónica Freixenet de la Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía
2021/12/8
On October 9, I got the invitation of the Ambassador of Spain to the Slovak Republic and participated in the concert, which commemorates the founding of the Queen Sofia School of Music. The concert took place in the Great Concert Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic.
One of the points of the program was Prokofiev's violin concerto no.1 with German soloist Arabella Steinbacher, who performed a demanding song brilliantly. As classical music experts certainly know, she is an important artist who has given concerts with many world-famous ensembles. Interestingly, she comes from a mixed family, and her mother is Japanese. It was a pleasant surprise for me to communicate with him in fluent Japanese at the reception. The concert of the Spanish orchestra in the Bratislava concert hall itself was an extraordinary experience. The icing on the cake, however, was the performance of Ms. Steinbacher, who has her roots in Japan. I was happy that Japanese talent was present and showing his strength in various places.
This autumn, after a long break, Bratislava is enjoying a regular concert, opera and ballet season. This concert was even the second in a row organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in the Slovak Republic at this time of year. Some time ago, I was invited to a concert by a young Spanish pianist. As then, this time the concert was attended by many ambassadors accredited to the Slovak Republic, together with their partners, to get to know and understand the depth of Spanish art and culture. I see this as an amazing way of cultural diplomacy. I often receive similar invitations not only from the Spanish but also from the embassies of other European countries.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is still difficult for Japanese artists and bodies of art to visit Europe and show Japanese culture live. However, even if the situation returns to normal, it will unfortunately still be difficult for the Japanese Embassy in the Slovak Republic to develop diplomacy by inviting a large number of local influences or members of diplomatic missions with partners to such events in order to get acquainted with Japanese culture. As I openly say, the reason is finance and the fact that we simply lack the right item in our budgetary policy.
There may be different approaches and ways of thinking in each country, but I would like to discuss this with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain and with the Ambassadors of other European countries.
One of the points of the program was Prokofiev's violin concerto no.1 with German soloist Arabella Steinbacher, who performed a demanding song brilliantly. As classical music experts certainly know, she is an important artist who has given concerts with many world-famous ensembles. Interestingly, she comes from a mixed family, and her mother is Japanese. It was a pleasant surprise for me to communicate with him in fluent Japanese at the reception. The concert of the Spanish orchestra in the Bratislava concert hall itself was an extraordinary experience. The icing on the cake, however, was the performance of Ms. Steinbacher, who has her roots in Japan. I was happy that Japanese talent was present and showing his strength in various places.
This autumn, after a long break, Bratislava is enjoying a regular concert, opera and ballet season. This concert was even the second in a row organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in the Slovak Republic at this time of year. Some time ago, I was invited to a concert by a young Spanish pianist. As then, this time the concert was attended by many ambassadors accredited to the Slovak Republic, together with their partners, to get to know and understand the depth of Spanish art and culture. I see this as an amazing way of cultural diplomacy. I often receive similar invitations not only from the Spanish but also from the embassies of other European countries.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is still difficult for Japanese artists and bodies of art to visit Europe and show Japanese culture live. However, even if the situation returns to normal, it will unfortunately still be difficult for the Japanese Embassy in the Slovak Republic to develop diplomacy by inviting a large number of local influences or members of diplomatic missions with partners to such events in order to get acquainted with Japanese culture. As I openly say, the reason is finance and the fact that we simply lack the right item in our budgetary policy.
There may be different approaches and ways of thinking in each country, but I would like to discuss this with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain and with the Ambassadors of other European countries.
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| With the violinist Arabella Steinbacher and the Spanish Ambassador |
Great Concert Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic |