The 27th edition of Guadalajara’s May Cultural Festival gets underway May 7, 8 and 9, with three performances at the Teatro Degollado of Beethoven’s Ninth (Choral) Symphony, marking 200 years since its debut at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, Austria.
These stellar presentations bring together the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (OFJ), the Zapopan Municipal Choir and four elite invited soloists from the United States, Canada, Denmark and Georgia.
At press time, a few tickets were still available for the May 8 and 9 performances.
In eight separate programs between May 12 and 23—six at the Degollado and two at the Palcco auditorium—Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams will interpret all 32 of Beethoven’s Sonatas. (May 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 22 and 23.)
The other presentations at the Degllado are:
• A Homage to Jalisco Jazz, with 20 artists on stage, led by the Arturo de la Torre Jazz Orchestra. Saturday, May 11, 8:30 p.m.
• Contemporary dance, “Baile de bestias” presented by Jesús Carmona from Spain. Saturday, May 18, 8:30 p.m.
• The Attacca Quartet, a Grammy-winning classical string group from the United States perform on Sunday, May 19, 6 p.m. (Also at the Teatro Rosas Moreno in Lagos de Moreno on Tuesday, May 21, 8 p.m.)
• The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra brings the festival to a close with a performance of Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin and Seventh Symphony, with guest conductor Johannes Wildner from Austria and violinist Geneva Lewis from New Zealand on Friday, May 24, 8:30 p.m.
Tickets for all festival shows at the Degollado or Palcco are reasonably priced and do not exceed 550 pesos. They are available from boletia.com or the Degollado box office.
More music
Two free recitals are scheduled in the Teatro Degollado’s Sala de Camara (rehearsal hall) on May 13 and 20, 7 p.m., featuring pianists Kamuel Zepeda and Elías Manzo, the latter the most recent winner of the Universidad de Guadalajara National Piano competition. There is also a free program of seven concerts held in local churches. See festivaldemayo.org for full details. Tickets are not required for these presentations.
Art
Art has always been an essential part of May Cultural Festival activities. This year’s Paseo Escultórico (Sculpture Walk) showcases 16 public pieces that will be installed in the plazas facing the Guadalajara Cathedral and the Santuario de Guadalupe in the city center.
1200°, an exhibit of contemporary ceramics, will be up at the Museo Pantaleón Panduro in Tlaquepaque from May 8 to 31.
Nineteen works by local artist Dionysos (Alejandro Loera) inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche will be on show at the Palacio Municipal de Zapopan also from May 8 to 31.
The event will also incorporate its own “3D”Madonnari Street Painting Festival at various locations in Zapopan, where seven Mexican artists will create ephemeral artworks on the pavement using chalk or pastels. The artists will work between May 8 and June 8 in these popular locations: the Glorieta Chapalita, Zapopan Centro, Unidad Administrativa Zapopan Sur, Parque de las Niñas y los Niños and the Centro Cultural Constitución, as well as four other sites in other parts of the municipality.