Havana, June 5 (Prensa Latina) Honoring singer-songwriter Armando Manzanero is the objective of next Saturday’s concert in this capital, coordinated by the Mexican Embassy, Channel Once of that country, and the Cuban Ministry of Culture.
“I Know You’ll Return: Tribute to Manzanero in Cuba” is the title of the gala held by both countries dedicated to the work of an emblematic figure of romantic music in Latin America, the organizers emphasized at a press conference in Havana.
According to reports, renowned Cuban and Mexican musicians will perform at the show, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. local time in the Avellaneda Hall of the National Theater of Cuba.
What seemed like madness has become a reality; a magical moment is being created where two forces converge, capable of moving the most incredible thing: emotion, expressed Mexican Ambassador to Cuba Miguel Díaz Reynoso in an exchange with the media.
Joining them in this presentation will be Mexican artists Aranza, Rodrigo de la Cadena, Los Miranda, Laura Flores, Marco Morel, Luis Pérez Sabido, and Alejandra Dávalos, along with Cuban music greats Beatriz Márquez, Vania Borges, Haila María Mompié, Sergio Farías, Waldo Mendoza, and other guests.
Cuban maestro Miguel Patterson is in charge of the event’s musical direction, accompanied by his fellow countryman, maestro Efraín Sabás, and Mexican Rodrigo de la Cadena, who are in charge of artistic direction. The prestigious selection of guests is completed by the Cuban Radio and Television Orchestra and Choir.
In the words of Díaz Reynoso, it is also about honoring an association that proposed and achieved, in an unusual act, that two countries joined forces to declare a cultural element as a World Heritage Site (by UNESCO), in this case, the musical genre Bolero, born in Cuba and recreated in Mexico.
For her part, Indira Fajardo, president of the Cuban Institute of Music, emphasized that the concert is a way to showcase the natural musical brotherhood between the two nations, which is reinforced in each of their joint performances.
The bolero isn’t just declared a heritage site; that requires a safeguarding plan, actions, and continuity; it implies shared responsibilities between the two countries so that it truly becomes a cultural asset and so that, in Cuba and Mexico, we can continue to defend it, Fajardo noted.
While admission to the concert will be free for attendees, the director of the National Theater of Cuba, Nereida López, reported that invitations have been distributed to health and education centers, and they hope, as an institution, that it will be an unforgettable afternoon of dreaming, loving, and spiritual growth.
At the end, maestro Miguel Patterson expressed that this will be the second time he will accompany Armando Manzanero: “He is not physically present now, but his spirit and his music are.”
Armando Manzanero (1934-2020) was a musician, singer and record producer, considered the main Mexican romantic composer of the post-war period and one of the most successful in Latin America.
Author of more than 400 songs, he was the first Mexican to receive an honorary Grammy Award (2014), Billboard magazine awarded him the Award of Excellence (1993) and his name is in the Latin Hall of Fame at the World Center in Miami, according to data from the Argentine music site CMTV.
His songs have been performed by world-class artists such as Elvis Presley, Luis Miguel, Andrea Bocelli, Ricardo Montaner, Miguel Bosé, Paulina Rubio and David Bisbal.
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