Breaking: Caracas cancels concert due to ‘social tension’
mainThe Venezuela Symphony Orchestra has cancelled Thursday’s concert in Caracas ‘due to social tension’. Until today, concerts have proceeded as normal. But visitors tell us there are students in the streets and demonstrations in key places all over Caracas.
The concert was to have been the second in a series by the Portuguese conductor, Osvaldo Ferreira (pic). The programme was to have been:
Braga-Santos – Divertimento nº 1
M. de Falla – Sombrero de 3 picos
R. Korsakov – Sheherazade.
Leonard Bernstein (letter to wife Felicia, 2 May 1958, Hotel Tamanaco, Caracas):
“Venezuela is really one of a kind–stinking with money, progressive architecture, happy, low on culture, & lower on education. It’s mostly a billionaire top stratum & penniless others. But there is arising a middle class, & they love music to say the least. [. . .] I’ve met the new president of the Junta, most charming . . .Such houses, such jewels, such luxury I’ve never seen . . .”
“Say hello to the new boss, same as the old….” When will we ever learn?
The President of the new Junta was Vice-Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal Ugueto, a key factor in defeating 10-year dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez. Larrazabal was not whatsoever another Military seeking power. His government lasted a few months. He organized free elections (won by known statesman Romulo Betancourt). Larrazabal did seek to be elected President, but first he resigned to office, retired from the Military, and campaigned as a normal, civilian candidate of URD (Union Republicana Democrática). Mr. Betancourt later asked Larrazabal to be Venezuela’s Ambassador to Chile, and this says a lot about WL’s stature as a democrat, since Betancourt applied what is known as the “Doctrina Betancourt”, which meant that Venezuela broke diplomatic ties with all Dictator-ruled countries in Latin America. Chile was, until 1973, a solid democracy.
Larrazabal played the guitar and sang with a fairly good tenor voice, mostly romantic songs. In 1998 there was a concert in Caracas with an Ad-Hoc orchestra with members of all the country’s musicians, conducted by several maestros. Mr Larrazabal was invited, to conduct the National Anthem at the beginning of the Venue, called “The Democracy Orchestra”.