The 23rd edition of the caprichos musicales festival in Comillas is set to commence on 3 August and will run until 13 August. Over the course of seven evenings, the festival will celebrate the anniversaries of significant figures in music and architecture, including W. A. Mozart, Jesús de Monasterio, Antoni Gaudí, Manuel de Falla, and Pau Casals.
This year's programme promises a journey through various soundscapes and artistic expressions, ranging from classical music to opera, zarzuela (a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre), Cuban music, Celtic roots, dance, and more. The festival will be directed by maestro Serguei Mesropian.
Highlights of the festival
The inaugural gala, titled ‘Gaudí. 100 years inspiring the future’, will take place on 3 August at 21:00 in the Church of the Major Seminary. This event will feature ballet and live music in memory of Antoni Gaudí, the creator of El Capricho, coinciding with the centenary of his death. The gala will include performances by the Nazarenko Ballet and the Ensemble Solistas de Caprichos Musicales, featuring violinist Albert Skuratov and pianist Ruzan Badalian, under the direction of Serguei Mesropian.
On 5 August, the festival will continue at the Centro Cultural El Espolón with ‘Mozart. Genio eterno’, a concert celebrating the 270th anniversary of the composer’s birth, performed by the Ensemble Solistas de Caprichos Musicales with Skuratov as the soloist.
On 7 August, the Church of the Old Major Seminary will host ‘Cuba en la Memoria’, showcasing the heart of Cuban music with the Yelsy Heredia Trio, a group nominated for two Latin Grammy awards.
The programme will also feature ‘Mareas celtas. The Cobblestone’ on 9 August, which will explore Irish traditions and their evolution over recent decades, performed by Rubén Díez, John Conde, and Javier Delgado. A concert featuring young talents from Cantabria is scheduled for 10 August.
On 11 August, ‘Falla, la fuerza de la llama’ will pay tribute to the 150th anniversary of Manuel de Falla’s birth, combining song, piano, and dance in a musical, poetic, and scenic journey. The festival will conclude on 13 August at El Espolón with ‘Donde el mar hace la música’, a concert dedicated to memorable moments from opera and zarzuela, featuring Imanol Laura, Rosa Gomariz, and Ruzan Badalian.
Community support and ticket information
María Teresa Noceda, the mayor of Comillas, emphasised that the caprichos musicales festival has become “one of the great cultural references” in the municipality and an essential event for music lovers. She expressed gratitude to Serguei Mesropian, the musicians, artists, technical teams, and the Department of Culture for making this edition possible.
Vanesa Sánchez Trueba, the councillor for Culture, highlighted that this year’s edition “maintains the artistic quality characteristic of the festival and pays homage to great cultural figures such as Mozart, Gaudí, and Manuel de Falla, reinforcing Comillas’ connection to culture, heritage, and artistic creation.”
Tickets for the concerts can be purchased online at www.entradium.com by searching for “Caprichos Musicales de Comillas”. Physical tickets are also available at the Centro Cultural El Espolón daily from 10:00 to 14:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoon from 17:00 to 21:00.
