The new production of the Vallés Symphony Orchestra, Great Movie Heroines, which will be presented on February 4 at the Palau de la Música Catalana, pays tribute to the protagonists of various classics in the history of the seventh art.
The program includes music from films such as Gone with the Wind, composed by Max Steiner, Mary Poppins, directed by the Sherman Brothers, Out of Africa, set to music by John Barry, or Breakfast at Tiffany’s, by Henry Mancini.
The concert will perform iconic themes from the soundtracks of classic films, and during it non-moving images of these productions will be shown, while the actress and dubber Mercè Montalà will recite narrations in Catalan.
In the presentation of the proposal, the deputy artistic director of the Palau de la Música, Mercedes Conde, highlighted that projects with film music are not a novelty for this orchestra, but it is the first time that “women are the protagonists ”.
Under the direction of the Murcian orchestra conductor Virginia Martínez, the proposal “finds a balance between the music that the public wants to hear and innovative proposals”, as explained by the conductor of the musical group.
The director has also affirmed that working with the Orquesta del Vallés is a “joy because they are very malleable” and that, for this occasion, the formation is extended, up to a total of between 70 and 80 musicians, to respond to the requirements of the selected soundtracks.
In his turn, the president of the Vallés Symphony Orchestra and creator of the original idea, Jordi Cos, has said that, after four programs dedicated to cinema, it is time to “put the accent on films starring women.”
Cos believes that it is necessary to “change the look” because the gender gap is still present in all areas of life, including in the best-known Hollywood productions.
The narrator of the proposal, Mercè Montalà, has indicated that scripting the concert makes it possible to combine the theme of the film with a “more didactic and pedagogical part on how the protagonists have been built”.
“Even today, women need to claim the place that women occupy”, added Montalà, who considers that her role in the concert is “a responsibility and a pleasure”.
Great Heroines of Cinema will have three appointments, and thus the premiere will take place on February 3 at La Factoría Cultural in Terrassa, on February 4 it will arrive at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona and, finally, on February 5 it will will be presented at the Teatre-Auditori in Sant Cugat del Vallés.
