Boleros de Oro International Festival
Havana, June 21 (RHC)-- The Boleros de Oro International Festival concluded Sunday with a concert at Covarrubias hall of Teatro Nacional de Cuba, featuring artists, exponents of the Cuban genre from Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Participants in this year’s 36th edition came also from Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina. The program of gala performances and concerts provided an approach to the genre, declared Cultural Heritage of the Cuban Nation.
It favors also an ongoing binational campaign with both, Cuba and Mexico requesting UNESCO to include bolero on its prestigious list of Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
First held in 1987, the Boleros de Oro Festival celebrated this time the 140th anniversary of the first ever bolero tune ‘Tristeza’, composed by Cuban musician José “Pepe” Sánchez, in 1883.
It celebrated also the 100th birthday anniversaries of Cuban actress, singer and dancer Rosita Fornés and Dominican Alberto Beltrán –better known as “El negrito del Batey”.
Tributes were paid also to Cuban musicians, singer Elena Burke and singer-songwriter Pacho Alonso on their 95th birthday anniversary and to Pablo Milanés, on his 80th birthday anniversary.
During debates at Villena hall of the National Association of Writers and Artists (UNEAC), in the framework of the Boleros de Oro colloquium, musicians and experts gathered underscored bolero as heritage of all Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean region.
Expert Rolando Rensoli spoke extensively about the contribution of Cuba, Mexico and Puerto Rico to the development of bolero.
Also in the context of the Colloquium, the exhibition «Conversación en tiempo de Bolero», opened at UNEA headquarters, organized by National Fine Arts laureate Lesbia Vent Dumois.
It includes posters that allude to the origin and evolution of the music genre and the artistic career of several of its great Cuban and foreign exponents.
